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Scotland took an unassailable 3-0 series lead over Namibia in the third Twenty20 of their five-match series with a 26-run win in Windhoek

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2011
Scorecard
Scotland took an unassailable 3-0 series lead over Namibia in the third Twenty20 of their five-match series with a 26-run win in Windhoek. A strong team performance set up Scotland’s victory as they reached 156 for 9 despite seamer Christi Viljoen’s 5 for 23, after which every one of the seven Scotland bowlers used picked up a wicket to keep Namibia to 130 for 8.After winning the toss, Scotland’s batting effort was underpinned by opener Calum Macleod’s aggressive 30 and Preston Mommsen’s 39, but there were contributions from most of the top order. The batsmen further down couldn’t quite replicate their efforts as Viljoen returned and struck regularly, finding himself on a hat-trick after dismissing Safyaan Sharif and Gordon Goudie with consecutive deliveries.Namibia lost captain Craig Williams and Sarel Burger inside the first six overs of their chase but kept in touch with the asking rate thanks to Louis van der Westhuizen’s 27-ball 39 and a rapid 30 from Gerrie Snyman.Wickets kept falling, however, and with each dismissal Scotland’s grip on the match tightened. Niel Rossouw struggled to force the pace in his 23-ball 18, and though Louis Klazinga managed a four and a six in his 19, the result was already a foregone conclusion.

Alan Butcher, the Zimbabwe coach, called for “braver” batting from his team after their 10-wicket defeat to Pakistan that cost them the ODI series

Firdose Moonda11-Sep-2011Alan Butcher, the Zimbabwe coach, called for “braver” batting from his team after their 10-wicket defeat to Pakistan that cost them the ODI series. Butcher said their reluctance to try and score more quickly was due to a lack of confidence and that they are capable of scoring more runs if they changed their mindset.”I still feel that the side don’t necessarily believe in themselves as much as they should. We need to be braver if we are going to post totals that win matches.”Zimbabwe crawled to 225 for 6 after batting slowly on a pitch that was easier to score runs on than the surface in Bulawayo, where they also lost. Instead of showcasing their shots, Zimbabwe employed an ultra-cautious approach against the variations of Sohail Tanvir, Junaid Khan and Aizaz Cheema and even treated the spinners, whose role was almost negated by the strip, with circumspection.Butcher thinks that the batsmen’s watchfulness was overcompensation for the fear of being bundled out cheaply. “In the not too distant past we were prone to collapses and so people are perhaps a little bit wary of trying to expand their game too early in case we lose wickets and that’s may be holding us back a bit.”Both Zimbabwe’s openers were out by the 14th over with only 36 runs on the board and that prompted Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor to retreat into a shell and consolidate. They did not actively pierce the gaps and although they put on a century third-wicket partnership, they scored slowly. “Perhaps we were a bit inflexible in the way we tried to play,” Butcher said. “We were trying to hit the ball hard instead of deflect it and with the ball moving around a bit, we didn’t score enough runs in the third man and fine leg area which just dried up our scoring rate and made it easy for Pakistan to bowl to us.”The performance by Zimbabwe’s two senior batsmen did not go unappreciated though, with Masakadza’s a little overdue after a bit of a lean spell. “Without ever looking in prime form, Hamilton stuck through a lot of difficult periods and was just looking as if he was starting to strike the ball well when he was run out,” Butcher said.Taylor’s knock was needed for a different reason, to make up for the blunder he made at the toss, when he forgot the team’s plan and said they would like to bat instead of field. Taylor admitted his mistake in the post-match interview and Butcher said that it was not something that the team would dwell on. “We decided that we wanted to bowl, he [Taylor] happened to say the wrong thing,” Butcher said. “He stood up in front of everybody and said that’s what he did. It takes a big man to admit his mistake. It’s something that happens; we’ll have to live with that and move on.”Zimbabwe’s line-up were surprised to hear that they needed to take first guard, but Butcher did not see that as an excuse for them posting a below-par total and said they should have scored more. Taylor had a total of around 250 in mind, but Butcher could not be sure how many runs would have been enough to defend successfully, because Pakistan’s openers were in such devastating form. “If we’d got 250-260, it would have put them under a bit of pressure but that possibly wouldn’t have been enough, given the way they played and the pitch was a very good one.”Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s centurion was also pleased with the way the pitch played, with more bounce and carry on offer than Bulawayo. “We tried to spend more time on the wicket because it was easier to get runs than it was at Queens,” he said. “We were very determined to win this game because it was the decider of the three.”With the series won for Pakistan, Zimbabwe will have nothing but pride to play for in the dead rubber on September 14. Even though it will not change the outcome of the series, a good performance there will make a statement about the progression of cricket in the country.”Every game that we play is important on many levels, especially in terms of gaining credibility at international cricket and for individuals to show that they can perform at the top level,” Butcher said. “Of course we want to win because every game that we win is vital to the development of cricket in this country.”

A round-up of the third day’s play in the third round of Division One Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches in 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2011Mohammad Talha polished off Abbottabad’s lower order early on the third day and Khurram Manzoor scored a fluent century to set up National Bank of Pakistan’s (NBP) convincing eight-wicket win at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Over the first two days, the match had swayed both ways with no clear favourite emerging. But on Thursday morning, Talha – who completed his five-for – and Umaid Asif’s strikes kept Abbottabad to 185 and gave NBP the opening they needed. The batsmen did not let the bowlers down. Chasing 221, Manzoor was solid at one end, while Nasir Jamshed made a quick 38 in a half-century opening stand. Following that, Umar Amin supported Manzoor well in a century partnership to all but seal the game. NBP scored at over five runs an over and Manzoor closed out the game in only the 42nd over, with over a day still to play.Sialkot face a tough task on the final day against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZBTL), after slipping to 195 for 4 in pursuit of 527 at the Jinnah Stadium. After the drought of runs in the first innings of the Test, the deluge continued for ZBTL in their second innings on the third day. Resuming on 361 for 4 with Haris Sohail unbeaten on 26, they kicked on to 502 for 9 at over five runs an over, before declaring. The brisk scoring rate was maintained by Haris, who got to 104 off 128 balls before he was trapped lbw by Mohammad Ayub, and Zulqarnain Haider – the wicketkeeper hit a run-a-ball 33. ZBTL struck early once the chase began, but were stalled by a 97-run stand between Mohammad Yasin and Faisal Khan. However, three quick wickets followed the partnership, denting Sialkot’s chances of survival. Whether they are able to hold off ZBTL on day four will depend heavily on Faisal, who went to stumps undefeated on 73.Despite a collapse from their lower middle order, Habib Bank Limited (HBL) are on the verge of a win against Rawalpindi at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. HBL followed up the low-scoring first innings with a commendable second innings score: 376, to set the hosts 330 for a win. HBL had resumed on 237 for 2 and the overnight batsmen, Bilal Shafayat and Khaqan Asral, went on to score a century and fifty respectively. When Sulaman Qadir followed up those knocks with a blistering 81 off 46 balls, HBL looked set for a much bigger total. As they pursued quick runs though, wickets fell in a hurry, mostly to first innings’ star, Sadaf Hussain. Left-armer Sadaf took his match tally to 15 wickets, with a six-wicket haul in the second innings. HBL’s bowlers then struck with regularity to reduce Rawalpindi 159 for 7, with the new-ball pair of Fahad Masood and Sarmad Anwar doing most of the damage.Hosts Islamabad took control of their game against State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) at the Diamond Club Ground, courtesy an unbeaten century from opener Afaq Raheem. In the morning, fast bowler Shehzad Azam and left-arm spinner Imad Wasim combined to knock over the SBP tail and keep them to 193 in reply to Islamabad’s 276. With a 83-run first-innings lead cushion, Islamabad’s openers were under no real pressure and settled in to grind the SBP attack. They put on 184 before Umair Khan was lbw for 61. A 55-run stand followed between Raheem and Raheel Majeed, to give the hosts an imposing 322-run lead going into the final day.The match between Pakistan International Airlines and Faisalabad at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad looked set for a draw at the end of the penultimate day’s play. Faisalabad batted out the day, moving from 192 for 2 to 374 for 5 in reply to PIA’s 396. Farrukh Shehzad was the top scorer for Faisalabad so far, hitting 128. He was well supported by Zeeshan Butt and Faisal Bin Mubashir, who both scored half-centuries.Barring a spectacular collapse, Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) should secure a win against Karachi Blues at the National Stadium on the final day, after going to stumps 151 for 3 chasing 210. Karachi Blues had resumed on 166 for 5 in their second innings, and courtesy solid cameos from Ashraf Ali, Javed Mansoor and Mohammad Sami, pushed on to 284. WAPDA were in trouble at 12 for 2 and then 40 for 3 in the chase, before Rafatullah Mohmand and Bilal Khilji steadied them. The pair put on a century stand, which was unbroken at stumps.

A round-up of Franchise 1-Day Cup matches that took place on November 11

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2011Morne van Wyk’s 136 off 144 balls led Knights to 318 for 5, a total large enough to secure a nine-run victory in a rain-affected game against Lions in Kimberley. van Wyk, who is Knights’ opening batsman, captain and wicketkeeper, anchored his team and provided momentum after choosing to bat, hitting 13 fours and a six in an innings that ended only in the 49th over. He was supported by Dean Elgar, who made 48, while Ryan Bailey provided a strong finish by scoring 47 off 30 balls. Left-arm spinner Jean Symes was Lions’ best bowler, taking 2 for 36 in a ten-over spell. Lions had reached 91 for 2 after 16 overs, when their chase was interrupted for the first time by rain. Three overs were lost. Alviro Petersen and Neil McKenzie kept the innings on course, before Petersen was dismissed for 62 in the 26th over. There was another rain interruption in the next over, with Lions on 154 for 3, and seven overs were lost. The revised target was 269 in 40 overs, which meant Lions needed 115 off 79 balls. While McKenzie was at the crease, Lions had a chance of victory. But he was dismissed for 72 off 58 balls in the 37th over, when 43 were needed. Cliffe Deacon smacked three sixes during his 19 off 7 balls but Lions fell nine short.Chasing 206 in 48 overs against Warriors, Cape Cobras had reached 172 for 7 in 39.5 overs, three runs ahead of the D/L par score, when rain brought an end to the game in Port Elizabeth. JP Duminy remained unbeaten on 43 off 68 balls, steering Cobras’ tricky chase as wickets fell around him. The most vital boundary, however, was the four Rory Kleinveldt hit off Wayne Parnell moments before the players went off the field. That stroke took the Cobras past the D/L target. Duminy’s innings had pulled his team out of trouble after they had slipped from 66 for 1 to 80 for 4 and then 128 for 6. Nicky Boje took 3 for 26 in 10 overs for Warriors. Earlier in the match, Charl Langeveldt’s 4 for 46 had cut through the middle order to limit Warriors to 201 for 9 in 48.3 overs. The spinners Robin Peterson and Duminy picked up two wickets apiece as well. Opening batsman JJ Smuts was Warriors’ top-scorer with 49. Though seven of his team-mates made double figures, no one went past 30.Loots Bosman’s century was at the centre of a strong chase as Dolphins overhauled a target of 316 against Titans in Centurion. Dolphins made a strong start as their captain Imraan Khan scored 60 off 50 balls during an opening partnership of 94 with Bosman, off 12.1 overs. They had a strong second-wicket stand as well, with Bosman and wicketkeeper Daryn Smit adding 166. Bosman scored 112 off 102 balls, with seven fours and four sixes, while Smith contributed 95 off 111 balls. Though both batsmen were dismissed within a short time of each other, they had done enough to ensure victory. Cameron Delport blitzed 20 off 5 balls to achieve the target with five balls to spare and six wickets in hand. Titans’ innings did not have as strong a start as Dolphins’ did. They were 24 for 2 after 6.1 overs before a steadying 89-run stand between Henry Davids and Faf du Plessis, who went on to score 120 off 115 balls. The middle order made useful contributions as well, with David Weise remaining unbeaten on 46 off 24 balls to take his team to 315 for 6 in 50 overs.Points table

Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Sri Lanka’s sports minister, has said the Sri Lanka cricketers, who have not received their salaries since the World Cup, will be paid, at least in part, by next week

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2011Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Sri Lanka’s sports minister, has said the Sri Lanka cricketers who have not received their salaries since the World Cup will be paid, at least in part, by next week. Sri Lanka have played three series since the end of the World Cup, and the players are still awaiting payment, including match fees and contract payments.”There has always been a delay of four to five months in paying their salaries,” Aluthgamage told . “We admit that the players are to be paid 347 million Sri Lankan rupees for the last seven months, until September.” He said that he expected half of the outstanding salaries to be paid initially.Sri Lanka Cricket has been in debt to the tune of US$23 million since co-hosting the World Cup and the board had to ask the Sri Lanka government for a grant. The financial crisis centres around the construction of new stadiums in Hambantota and Pallekele, and the renovation of the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo for the World Cup. SLC has been expecting payments from the ICC amounting to $4.3million for co-hosting the World Cup, but has had to wait until the completion of the governing body’s World Cup audit.The payment of salaries is now possible as the ICC is set to release part of that money to the SLC, according to Aluthgamage. “Yes there has been a delay,” he said. “But now the accounts have been submitted.”Aluthgamage also confirmed that the government had refused the grant of one billion Sri Lankan rupees that was requested by the SLC, but had sanctioned a grant for 50 million rupees.

Pakistan Under-19 inflicted a sixth straight defeat on Zimbabwe Under-19 at the Stellenbosch University Ground

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2012
Scorecard
Pakistan Under-19 inflicted a sixth straight defeat on Zimbabwe Under-19 at the Stellenbosch University Ground. Zimbabwe, after choosing to bat, appeared to be in a comfortable situation at 73 for 1 in the 19th over. Luke Masasire (65) and Kevin Kasuza were involved in a 59-run second-wicket stand but things fell apart after the pair was separated. In a collapse, Zimbabwe lost 9 wickets for 65 runs and were bowled out for 138 in 40.5 overs. Seamer Zia-ul-Haq grabbed three wickets and was supported by Usman Qadir and Mohammad Nawaz, who took two each. Opener Faraz Ali top-scored with 68 in the chase and Pakistan sealed victory with 22 overs to spare and seven wickets in hand.

East Zone held their nerve in the chase to beat West Zone by five wickets in Valsad. This is only the third time West have lost to East in the Duleep Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2012
ScorecardEast Zone held their nerve in the chase to beat West Zone by five wickets in Valsad. This is only the third time West have lost to East in the Duleep Trophy. West had already conceded the first-innings lead and had begun the final day with only five wickets remaining in the second innings. Mumbai’s Abhishek Nayar and Kaustubh Pawar were their last hope of saving the game but when Pawar went caught behind to Ashok Dinda on 37, West’s lower order crumbled. They lost five wickets for 21 runs to be bowled out for 201, Nayar being the last man to be dismissed for 58. Dinda and Abu Nechim ended with three strikes each for East.The visitors made a strong start to the chase of 173 with Dheeraj Jadhav and Manish Vardhan putting on 52 upfront. However, Maharashtra’s Akshay Darekar, who bowled 23 of the 56.3 overs in East’s second innings, kept striking from one end to leave them in some trouble at 121 for 5 at one stage. Biplab Samantray and Anustup Majumdar, who had helped East take the first-innings lead with an unbeaten century, ensured there were no further worries for their side as they knocked off the remaining 52 runs. Darekar finished with 5 for 87.East will now take on North Zone in the second semi-final in Delhi from February 7 while Central Zone will meet South Zone in the first in Chennai.

Kevin Pietersen struck his first ODI century in more than three years as England sealed the series against Pakistan with a nine-wicket win

The Report by David Hopps18-Feb-2012
ScorecardKevin Pietersen made 111 not out, his first ODI century in 37 innings•Getty Images

Kevin Pietersen was captain of England when he struck his last hundred in a one-day international. It sounds so long ago that it might have belonged to a different world. In some ways it did.As the England coach left Cuttack that night he could hardly have imagined what lay in wait. A major terrorist attack on Mumbai was already underway and was about to force the postponement of England’s tour of India. After England returned for a Test series played under heavy security, his relationship with the coach Peter Moores broke down irrevocably and both men lost their jobs.It is a history that has played heavily upon him. Pietersen toyed for a while, nobody quite knows how seriously, with abandoning one-day cricket as his star began to wane. It has taken three years, three months and 37 ODIs to draw a line and when he walked down the pitch in his audacious style of old, and flicked Aizaz Cheema through the leg side, the intervening years seemed more aptly summed up not by his routine kneel and punch of the air as a slightly rueful raise of the eyebrows.It is no longer Pietersen’s one-day side now but Alastair Cook’s, and it was perhaps appropriate that his batting renaissance contributed to Cook’s achievement in leading England to a rare one-day series victory in Asia. England now hold an unassailable 3-0 lead with one match to play and a nine-wicket victory with 12.4 overs remaining, fashioned by an opening stand between Cook and Pietersen of 170, could hardly have been more emphatic. Whitewashed in the Test series against Pakistan, they will now be bent upon returning the favour in the final match in the same stadium on Tuesday.Cook’s only regret will be that he narrowly failed to become the first England batsman to make hundreds in three consecutive ODIs. He had reached 80 when he pushed gently forward at the off-spin of Saeed Ajmal and gave Adnan Akmal a faint catch. Cook had again been in unruffled form, his cut shot more to the fore than it had been in Abu Dhabi on a quicker batting surface, but his exit cleared the way for Pietersen to claim the limelight.This has been an opening partnership assembled partly through adversity as Pietersen looked forward to a few sighters against the fast bowlers after a traumatic Test series against Pakistan’s spinners. It now looks bedded in and that coud spell trouble for Craig Kieswetter, whose keeping has been patchy – he dropped Umar on 28 off Broad – and whose range is too limited to convince as a No. 6 in Asia.Pietersen’s habitual pre-match claim that he was in “fantastic” form was backed up by adventurous footwork and flowing strokeplay. He passed 4,000 runs in ODIs in spectacular fashion as he danced down the pitch to strike the offspin of Mohammad Hafeez over the sightscreen for six.He was dropped on 45 when a fierce, flat pull against Aizaz Cheema smacked into the body of the onrushing Azhar Ali at deep square. That apart, his most awkward moments came against the Akmal brothers. Adnan, who had replaced his brother Umar behind the stumps, ill-advisedly tried to run Pietersen out after he had tapped the ball back to him, and apologised. Umar tried to run him out more legimately only for the ball to ricochet off the stumps and career away for five overthrows.

Smart stats

• This is the 11th occasion that England have achieved an ODI win by a margin of nine of more wickets and the first time they have won by such a margin against Pakistan. The target of 223, however, is the highest achieved by England in nine and ten-wicket wins.

• The target of 223 is the highest achieved by any team in a nine or ten-wicket win against Pakistan. West Indies and South Africa are the only other teams to chase 200-plus targets against Pakistan and win by nine or ten-wicket margins.

• Kevin Pietersen became the seventh England batsman to reach the 4000-run mark in ODIs. Among England players with 4000-plus runs, Pietersen has the best average (41.60) and the joint second-highest number of centuries (8).

• Pietersen’s century is his first in ODIs since the 111 against India in Cuttack in November 2008. In 38 matches in between the two centuries, Pietersen scored just 896 runs at 24.88 with three half-centuries.

• Alastair Cook became the third England batsman in the last two years, after Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott, to make three fifty-plus scores in a bilateral ODI series. Pietersen leads the list with four fifty-plus scores against South Africa in 2004.

• The 170-run opening stand between Cook and Pietersen is England’s highest against Pakistan and their seventh-highest overall. It is also the fifth-highest opening stand in ODIs played in the UAE.

• Since their 3-0 win against West Indies in 2007, Pakistan have gone on to lose four of their five series (three-plus matches) played in the UAE.

• The number of deliveries remaining at the end of the win (76) is the third-highest for England when they have scored over 200 in successful ODI chases.

A sandstorm had disrupted the practice day and when the Kaus – meaning “bow” in Arabic – a vigorous south-westerly off the desert, cleared in the nick of time it revealed the same flaky Pakistan top order. They lost three wickets in 15 balls to slump to 50 for 4 before Umar, his lips daubed in luminous green sun cream, and the ageing swinger Shahid Afridi, who needs no war paint to convey his belligerence, summoned half-centuries to keep Pakistan in the match.Umar’s last two dismissals have taken Samit Patel’s fielding reputation to new heights. In Abu Dhabi and Dubai, on off side and leg side, he has flung himself to the ground to hold an excellent catch. He knows that his fitness remains borderline – if you enquire innocently about the weather there is every chance he will reply “chicken and salad”, and guiltily wipe the trace of an imaginary beef burger from his lips – but he is a decent cricketer and should be seriously considered to bat No. 6 for England in the Sri Lanka Test series.Afridi was at his most restrained: that is he gambolled along at only a run a ball. He began in haywire fashion but then played responsibly, a straight six off Graeme Swann’s offspin his most emphatic moment. Like Umar, he fell soon after reaching his half-century, bowled by James Anderson as he whipped to leg.For the third successive match, Finn pronounced himself as fine a young fast bowler as anyone in the world. He took two wickets with the new ball, bowling straight and finding steep bounce at close to 90mph. He finished with 3 for 24, taking his series’ tally to 11 wickets at 8.36 runs each.Pakistan had won 13 ODIs out of 14 going into this series and had also whitewashed England 3-0 in the Test series, but such statistics seemed from another age. The loss of Imran Farhat, caught at the wicket as he struggled to cope with Finn’s hostility, seemed a blip. But Stuart Broad caused Azhar Ali to flirt with one outside off stump, Mohammad Hafeez was lbw to an inducker from Finn and Misbah-ul-Haq dangled his bat at Broad to edge to first slip.Broad conceded 16 from his first over, his mood not enhanced by a no-ball that prevented him from dismissing Azhar to a catch by Eoin Morgan at gully. His interrogation of the umpire Aleem Dar was borne out of frustration, but it looked disrespectful. Broad does not need sand stinging his face to become a bit irascible; a ball in his hands normally does the trick.Shafiq’s first run would have brought his downfall if Pietersen’s flat throw had hit the target and he did not learn his lesson. He was unsettled by Swann’s lbw appeal as the ball ran into the legside and had to dive back into the crease as Cook threw the ball to the wicketkeeper, Kieswetter, but the third umpire, Kumar Dharmasena, ruled that his bat was not grounded behind the line. It summed up Pakistan’s day.

Chris Cairns was questioned about his work for a diamond trading company and the large sums of money he received from them prior to the third edition of the ICL

Alan Gardner at the Royal Courts of Justice06-Mar-2012Chris Cairns, the retired New Zealand international, has been confronted with allegations of corruption made by former team-mates on the second day of his libel action against the former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi. Cairns, who is suing Modi over a 2010 tweet that claimed the former allrounder was involved in match-fixing during his time in the rival Indian Cricket League (ICL), said that the accusations made him “angry” and “sad”.The High Court in London heard testimony from witness statements of several former players with Chandigarh Lions, the team Cairns captained during his three seasons in the Twenty20 league. The evidence provided in Modi’s defence included a claim that Cairns asked a batsman to score “no more than 5 runs” in an innings, and instructed one bowler to bowl no-balls and another to bowl “loosely”.Cairns was also questioned about his work for a diamond trading company and the large sums of money he received from them prior to the third edition of the ICL. The firm, Vijay Dimon, was run by what Cairns described as family friends and he said he regretted them becoming the focus of public interest.”I didn’t realise how intense this would be,” Cairns said. “Anything that has Modi attached is significant global news. The initial tweet in 2010 started this and now it’s spread like wildfire all over the world. With regards to bringing my friends into this domain, I feel sorry for them.”During his second day on the witness stand – an appearance that ran to almost eight hours in total – Ronald Thwaites QC, representing Modi, accused Cairns of colluding with Dinesh Mongia, a former India international, to “put pressure on younger players to underperform”. Mongia, described as Cairns’ “co-conspirator”, had an unofficial role as vice-captain within the team because of his ability to translate English for the Indian players who didn’t speak the language.The court heard that Rajesh Sharma, a bowler with Chandigarh, said that he had raised concerns about match-fixing during the second edition of the ICL but was told by Cairns and Mongia to keep quiet or he would be removed from the team. Cairns denied such a conversation took place but said that he had spoken to Sharma and two other players about their levels of performance.Another player, Gaurav Gupta, alleged that he had been told by Mongia that Cairns would give him money for fixing matches. He said in one match he had been told to score five runs or less and that Cairns had told him to “get out now” upon joining Gupta, who had scored four runs at the time, in the middle. Cairns responded by saying: “I would never instruct anyone to do that.”Gupta said it was understood a player could earn 10 Lakhs ($20,000) if they agreed to engage in fixing.Two other bowlers were also allegedly pressured by Cairns and Mongia. Amit Uniyal said he was told to “bowl loose balls” in order to keep his place in the side, while Love Ablish was allegedly instructed to bowl a no-ball. Cairns denied the claims.Cairns had his contract terminated after three games of the third edition of the ICL, with his failure to disclose an injury the official reason given. Mongia also left the Chandigarh Lions as the same time.Modi’s defence claims that talk of Cairns’ injury was a cover-up to obscure the corruption allegations that had been made against them. Cairns has denied this but faced further questions from Thwaites about his financial situation in 2008, prior to the start of the third edition of the ICL in October.Bank statements submitted to the court show that Cairns received two separate payments, totalling 600,000 Emirati Dirham ($160,000), into an account in Dubai, where he had set up home with his new wife. The payments, which were made in August and September of 2008, were for Cairns’ involvement with Vijay Dimon. He had a verbal agreement to do promotional and sales work for the India-based diamond trader, which also has offices in Dubai and Antwerp.Thwaites suggested that the transactions were bound to invite scrutiny and questioned the nature of Cairns’ involvement with the diamond trade.”You have drawn suspicion upon yourself,” Thwaites said. “You must be aware that to take large payments immediately before a tournament in a country where match-fixing is rife invites suspicion?”The initial payment, of more than 350,000 AED ($95,000), was for relocation costs, Cairns said, the rest being for appearances at dinners and events. A third payment, bringing the total Cairns received to 900,000 AED ($250,000), was made to the account in 2009, after which his association with Vijay Dimon continued only on an “occasional basis”.However, Thwaites said that the absence of a formal contract with the company “deepens the suspicion you bring upon yourself”.It was also revealed that after Cairns’ departure from the ICL – but before Modi’s January 2010 tweet – that former Australia wicketkeeper Rod Marsh refused to sign a bat to be auctioned for charity that already bore Cairns’ signature, as he did not want to be associated with the allrounder. Cairns accepted this but said he “had it out” with Marsh and that they had resolved their disagreement.Cairns has previously admitted to being made aware of match-fixing allegations during a hotel meeting with ICL officials on October 26, 2008. He said that the reason for his contract being terminated, however, was due to an ankle injury that prevented him from bowling. Despite repeated questioning, Cairns has denied that the ICL’s anti-corruption officer, Howard Beer – who is due to give evidence on Wednesday – was present in the hotel room.Following the meeting, Cairns said he called his lawyer Andrew Fitch-Holland and asked him to “shut down” the rumours about alleged corruption that had begun to circulate. Fitch-Holland is also scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

A century from Riki Wessels and a solid opening stand between Alex Hales and Neil Edwards put Nottinghamshire in a strong position after two days

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge07-Apr-2012
ScorecardJust when it seemed Worcestershire were in position to pull off an improbable victory at Trent Bridge, a late burst of destructive bowling tipped the balance back in favour of Nottinghamshire. Worcestershire had been favourites to win before the second new ball became available but they enter the final day suddenly facing a tall order to avoid defeat. They are 134 behind, with only four wickets in hand and the new ball has had only five overs of wear.Yet, even if the final day has defeat in store for them, they can console themselves with the knowledge that the competitive spirit that enabled them to defy their status as relegation favourites last season remains intact. Chasing what seemed likely to be no more than a nominal target of 392 to win, they managed to reduced it to 157 while losing only Michael Klinger and Vikram Solanki. At that stage, with the pitch behaving as well as it had throughout the match, you would not have bet against them pulling it off.But a partnership of 174 between their captain, Daryl Mitchell, and the allrounder Moeen Ali, ended when Ali, six short of a century, was caught behind off a slightly weary drive against Andre Adams. Then what had been such a promising position unravelled rather dramatically.Nottinghamshire, by then a little ragged in the field and getting scant help from the pitch, were toiling. Once Moeen had departed, with the new ball imminent, responsibility rested on the shoulders of Mitchell to hold things together. Mitchell’s task became more onerous when Ben Phillips, the right-arm seamer who has bowled well throughout this match, needed only six deliveries with the new ball to deal Worcestershire another blow, bowling Alexei Kervezee off his padsMitchell had played superbly, anchoring the innings for more than five hours. He had been granted an unusual reprieve during the morning, allowed to continue on 9 despite being apparently given out leg before by umpire George Sharp, who then reversed the decision when Adams, the bowler, declined to appeal.He completed a fine century off 237 balls with his 12th boundary but faced only one more before Luke Fletcher bowled him. The ball was swinging for the broadly-built seamer and he struck again with his next delivery, badly misjudged by new batsman Ben Scott, who did not offer a shot.  Now the Worcestershire target suddenly looked a considerable one.In the morning, Nottinghamshire had added 48 runs to their overnight total, 25 of them coming in a typically violent assault by Adams. Riki Wessels stretched the century he had completed on Friday evening to 113 before he was leg before playing across one from Alan Richardson, whose five-wicket haul was just reward for carrying the heaviest workload among the Worcestershire bowlers, at 36, and as unselfishly as ever.Substantial though it is, Worcestershire’s target does not require them to break any records. In June 1996, at Bath, they chased down 446 to beat Somerset by one wicket with three balls to spare. Steve Rhodes, then wicketkeeper, now director of cricket, scored 92 not out. Solanki, aged 20 and in only his eighth first-class match, made 71.He looked as if he might do something similar, if not better, for a while yesterday, but having been dropped at first slip on 20 he aimed a loose drive at Adams to be caught at backward point. He was annoyed with himself, with just cause.  Another 50 or so from him and Worcestershire might still be favourites.Instead, Nottinghamshire can anticipate a winning start to the season, having already had one piece of good news in the shape of an England Performance Squad that includes neither Alex Hales, who has appeared in four Twenty20 internationals, nor James Taylor, the England Lions captain who joined them from Leicestershire during the winter.Having seen Samit Patel make his Test debut in Sri Lanka, Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, had been worried his side’s prospects might be seriously compromised should England see fit to fast-forward Hales and Taylor in their international development. To his relief, Jonathan Bairstow, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes appear to be ahead in the pecking order.Edited by David Hopps