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George Bailey, the Australia ODI captain, has said that home teams “doctor” their pitches to prepare turners because they believe visiting Australian sides are vulnerable against spin

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-2014George Bailey, the Australia ODI captain, has said that home teams “doctor” their pitches to prepare turners because they believe visiting Australian sides are vulnerable against spin. There was considerable assistance for spinners during the only T20 international in Dubai, which Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Boyce exploited to squeeze Pakistan to 96 for 9 in a six-wicket win. Bailey wanted his batsmen to improve so much against slow bowling that opponents stopped dishing out turners.”I still think teams are doctoring their wickets when we come and play them to produce very large spinning wickets, which says to me that teams still think that we’re vulnerable against spin,” Bailey said ahead of the first ODI in Sharjah. “Teams can certainly be prone to put more spin into their wickets when they know we are coming given the way we have played it over the years so that is something we are continually trying to get better at.”I think that is an ongoing challenge for us. I guess (we need) exposure to spinning wickets and a lot of spinners. I still think we have got a long way to go. The challenge for us is to become so good at spin that that is no longer required. Teams are then producing the best cricket wickets they can.”Bailey said that while the result of the T20 would not have any bearing on the ODI series, the Australia spinners would take confidence from the way they bowled. “I thought what the T20 side did really well was they started well. They grabbed the momentum early and put Pakistan on the back foot and we will certainly be looking to replicate that.”Pakistan will be without Saeed Ajmal, who has been banned for an illegal action. The ICC has been severe on bowlers with suspect actions of late, but Bailey said Australia had not been impacted because their board had already weeded out such players from domestic cricket long back.”It will provide opportunities for some other spinners in the Pakistani line-up. Pakistan will definitely be trying to prove that they do not rely too much on Ajmal. From an opposition perspective, it will pose different challenges but if you look at his record over a number of years there is no doubt he has been very, very important for Pakistan.”It hasn’t had any effect on ours because Cricket Australia took a strong stance a number of years ago to not coach players into having actions that could be deemed illegal which I think retrospectively has worked out quite well. It was a hard decision to make because there were some bowlers who were having a big influence around the world but it has worked out quite well.”While Ajmal is absent, Australia had never faced the tall fast bowler Mohammad Irfan before the Dubai T20, and Bailey said he was going to be difficult to tackle. “Just chatting to the guys this morning who faced him last night, it is different. And anytime you come up against something that is different – and obviously he is quality, he is playing international cricket – it takes a little bit of time to adjust and get used to. We have to find a way to deal with the bounce and the different things that he poses when he bowls but hopefully we’ll get used to that pretty quickly.”

Rasmus Hojlund insists he was never “worried” that an untimely injury would dash his dreams of completing a transfer to Manchester United.

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Danish forward snapped up from AtalantaSuffered stress fracture in his backWorking his way towards full fitnessWHAT HAPPENED?

The highly-rated Denmark international became a top target for the Red Devils early in the summer window as they sought to bring another goalscorer onto their books. Atalanta were willing to do business, but Hojlund picked up a back problem that threatened to throw a spanner into the works.

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A deal was eventually done, with the 20-year-old becoming a record-setting £72 million ($90m) addition at Old Trafford, but he was forced to wait 29 days after moving to England before making his Premier League debut off the bench in a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal.

WHAT THEY SAID

Quizzed by on whether he feared a stress fracture would prevent him from linking up with the club that he supported as a boy, Hojlund said: “Well, there is not much else to say, other than that it was a small thing, and I have never really been able to feel any pain myself at any time. It was just something that had to be respected, and it has been done, so now it's just out of the way. Many things happened in those days. There was a lot to focus on, so it was a rollercoaster ride in many ways, but I wouldn't say that I was worried at any point.”

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Hojlund is still working his way back to full fitness and has figured off the bench in both of Denmark’s games during the international break. He will be hoping to play a more prominent role for United when they return to action on Saturday in a home date with Brighton.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board has been allocated $422,000 by the ICC’s targeted assistance and performance programme, as part of a $1 million request for assistance by the board

Umar Farooq18-Apr-2013The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has been allocated US$422,000 (22,400,000 AFN approx.) from the ICC’s targeted assistance and performance programme. The world governing body of cricket approved the grant at its IDI (ICC Development International) board meeting, which concluded Wednesday in Dubai.ACB chief executive officer, Noor Mohammad Murad, said the board had requested a total of $1 million in assistance. “The ICC approved $422,000 for now. They will send a delegation to visit the ACB in two or three weeks, and will decide [from there] whether or not to approve the rest of the money,” Murad told AFP.The money, to be given over three years, is aimed at developing more competitive teams among ICC Full, Associate and Affiliate members. Previously, countries such as the Netherlands, Scotland, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Ireland have received assistance through a similar programme. According to an ICC statement, the funding for the ACB is for the development of the National Cricket Academy in Kabul.Afghanistan became an Affiliate member of the ICC in 2001. In 2009 it attained one-day status till 2015. Over the last two years, the ACB has undergone organisational restructuring in a bid to provide better leadership and find qualified staff to run cricket administration in the war-torn country. They are currently developing their domestic cricket infrastructure, and have signed a two-year deal with the Pakistan board for the development of Afghanistan cricket ahead of the 2015 World Cup.Last year, the Asian Cricket Council decided to nominate Afghanistan for Associate membership with the ICC, with the request being looked into at the ICC’s annual conference in June. At present the ICC provides about $700,000 a year in funding. Based on current distributions, that will rise to $850,000 once Associate status is assured.

South Africa will tour the Netherlands at the end of May as part of their preparation for the Champions Trophy, which they begin on June 6 against India.

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2013South Africa will tour the Netherlands at the end of May as part of their preparation for the Champions Trophy, which they begin on June 6 against India.They will take part in team-building activities before three days of cricket practise and an ODI against Netherlands on May 31 in Amstelveen. It will be the third ODI between the teams and the first outside of a World Cup. The previous meetings have produced thumping wins for South Africa.”We feel we have pulled off a real coup in getting one of the top ODI Nations in the World to come to the Netherlands not only to play but also to act as their preparation-base for this major tournament,” Netherlands CEO Richard Cox said. “We are looking forward to having some of the household names of world cricket on ourdoorstep.”As a result of the Champions Trophy being held in the UK it has given many European countries theopportunity to maximise the chance to play a Full Member through the support of ICC’s TAPP funding policy.”National Coach Peter Drinnen said it would be a pleasure to welcome a full member to the Netherlands. “I would like to thank everyone who was involved in making this possible. It is a great opportunity to showcase the game in this country as well as provide an extremely valuable opportunity to our players to measure themselves against some of the best in the world.”These opportunities are very important for our continued development and I know all parties here in the Netherlands involved in this series will be working hard on and off the park to ensure the South African touring party have a very beneficial stay with us”

Lisa Sthalekar feels Australia have done some “damage” to their traditional rivals on the psychological front

Abhishek Purohit in Mumbai08-Feb-2013After winning successive tight finishes against England, in the World Twenty20 final and today in the World Cup, Lisa Sthalekar feels Australia have done some “damage” to their traditional rivals on the psychological front. England had fallen short by four runs in Colombo; the margin was two runs in Mumbai, a win the veteran Sthalekar ranked “pretty high” among victories she’s been involved in.”We’d like to believe we’ve done a bit of damage in the tight finish here and the World Twenty20 victory,” Sthalekar said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to play in a few matches where it’s been tight but in a World Cup against the English girls, to win with such a tight finish, it was really important for us as a team, building momentum through to the World Cup. And that probably ranks pretty high.”England have never beaten Australia in an ODI on neutral territory. Today’s defeat was their 14th. Their captain Charlotte Edwards, though, did not think the narrow losses in the World Twenty20 final and today meant Australia had gained any psychological advantage. Edwards said England had a “great record” against Australia but was disappointed with her batsmen’s failure to chase 148.”Two poor decisions [lbws against her and Laura Marsh] definitely doesn’t help when you are opening and then in a key partnership,” Edwards said. “There was also some poor shot selection through our middle order. Nos. 3, 5, 6 and 7 played 12 balls between them. When you are in a position where you are three down you need to stand up. They didn’t today.”There was no reason to fret over the batsmen, though, according to Edwards, who backed her middle order, especially the talented Sarah Taylor, to come good. Taylor has made 35, 0 and 0 so far. “Individually they have all stood up at times. Collectively maybe we haven’t batted as well. I think India is the only game we have collectively batted as we would have liked to. So yes, our bowling is brilliant, our batting is something that we need to improve on but I am not worried.”Sarah Taylor hasn’t scored runs in the competition so far but she is dangerous and hopefully there are big things to come from her so I am not too concerned. She got a good ball the other day. Sarah normally hits them through the covers. I have no doubt she is too good a player to go through too many games without scoring so hopefully with two big games to come she will fire for us.”The England bowling gave no headaches to their captain as they routed Australia for 147 with sustained, controlled swing and seam, especially from Anya Shrubsole. It drew praise from the opposition, with both Australia captain Jodie Fields and Sthalekar lauding the efforts of the England attack. “The English bowlers bowled really well,” Sthalekar said. “You had Anya who was hooping them in. The ball with which she got Jess Cameron was pretty spectacular and then you had Katherine Brunt who was going the other way as well. We’ve got bowlers who do similar things as well and the conditions here really helped the swing bowlers early.”Australia now have six points and are in a pretty safe position in the Super Six while England, with two points, would be under pressure to win both their remaining games against South Africa and New Zealand.

Engage with the BCCI to rebuild their relationship and hand out stiff action, including possible bans, to the players are courses of action the WICB will deliberate on at its meeting on Tuesday

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Oct-2014Engage with the BCCI as soon as possible to rebuild the relationship. And hand out stiff action, including possible bans, against the core group of players who engineered the pullout from the India tour. Those are the two main courses of action the 18 directors of the WICB will deliberate on at the emergency board meeting in Barbados on Tuesday morning.The WICB realises it has burned bridges with the BCCI, but it has been a loyal supporter of the Indian board in the recent past and hopes to leverage this to its advantage.Even though no agenda has been set for the meeting, directors who interacted with ESPNcricinfo felt the players had “embarrassed” the Caribbean and brought “collective shame” by deciding to leave the India tour mid-way.The WICB was forced to convene the meeting after West Indies ODI captain Dwayne Bravo along with the rest of the squad informed the team management last Friday that the players would not take any further part in the tour after the fourth ODI in Dharamsala. The WICB issued two media releases immediately: initially it absolved itself of any blame, but the second release stated the board was left with no other option but to call off the tour.Although the WICB put the blame on Bravo and his team-mates, the BCCI saw the matter differently. Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary, categorically pulled up the WICB for jeopardising the tour and said the BCCI would take appropriate action.With the BCCI holding its working committee meeting in Hyderabad tomorrow, the WICB directors do not want to waste any further time in extending the hand of peace. “The only thing that will solve this problem will be dialogue,” a senior WICB director said. “We need to discuss mainly [how] to try and build the relationship back with the BCCI. We know that the BCCI will have no confidence in the WICB supplying a team again, and no guarantee can be given in the present circumstances. The BCCI and the WICB have shared a good relationship. The BCCI officials should understand the situation and that the WICB had no other alternative but to do what it did. It was the players, really, to be blamed.”A second director agreed, saying reaching out to the BCCI was an “early step” which had become mandatory. “We have shamed our hosts. We have shamed ourselves. That must be on the agenda of the WICB.” According to him the people of the West Indies were “shocked, overwhelmed and disappointed” at the action of the players. “It has brought collective shame to the Caribbean people. It was not the wish of the WICB for something like that to happen.”

“Some just measures should be taken against the players. I would especially like the players who were part of the core group to call off this tour to be completely banned from participating in the IPL in future.”A WICB director to ESPNcricinfo

The directors insisted that the WICB “did all what they could have done” in ensuring the tour would continue. They felt that the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) was the rightful place for Bravo and his men to engage in negotiations instead of seeking WICB intervention – only because the board would not bypass the player representative.”We feel that WIPA, the legitimate representatives of players in the Caribbean, did what they may feel was right. They thought despite a lot of our players playing around the world [in different Twenty20 leagues] the standard of West Indies cricket was not raised. It continued to linger at the bottom edge of world cricket. And hence WIPA in association with the WICB decided to have 90 contracted players across the Caribbean to improve West Indies cricket. That is where the money, the players say they are losing, is going. It is not going into the pockets of the WICB bosses,” the first director said.He said he would ask the board to seriously consider some disciplinary action. “Some just measures should be taken against the players. I would especially like the players who were part of the core group to call off this tour to be completely banned from participating in the IPL in future.” He said no such request from the WICB had been sent to the BCCI but that point was bound to be raised at the board meeting on Tuesday.But his fellow board member felt it would be prudent to exercise patience and caution for now. “At this stage it is difficult to apportion blame to anybody. The fact is that they [the players] aborted the tour. No matter what difficulties were faced, this action is unprecedented. None of the tours aborted in the past were due to player conflicts. I wonder if the people involved understood the implications of such a decision.”The WICB finds itself in a tight corner with no ally, including the ICC. Even if the West Indies tour is part of the current FTP, the ICC has no direct role to play with respect to the dispute. Any claims and damages would need to be addressed according to the MoU signed by the BCCI and WICB. Under the new reforms, unveiled after the last ICC AGM, all matters relating to the FTP are dealt with directly by the members.The BCCI’s hard posturing so far suggests it is not afraid to lay down severe financial claims from the WICB. Some of its members want to have a rethink over India’s tours to the Caribbean in 2016 and ’17. “Definitely there will be long-term damage to West Indies cricket, to the reputation of the Caribbean people. How we could mitigate such damages would be the decision of the board, a decision we will have to be advised upon as well. Because it could have far-reaching consequences beyond cricket as well,” the second director said.But he was equally confident about working out a solution with both the BCCI and the players. Despite its aggressive stance, the BCCI is also likely to consider its progressive relationship with the WICB. Dave Cameron, the WICB president, has been a key supporter of India at the ICC board meetings. Last year West Indies players had to cut short their holidays as the WICB assembled quickly a team to play the two-Test series in India which where the farewell to Sachin Tendulkar.”I am confident the administrators will look all around and not put punitive measures on people and territorial and regional boards. We have to look at the collective good of the sport, what is the best decision for the sport, what are the implications of the actions of doing one thing as against another thing. Good and mature sense will prevail in the end. I am confident of that,” the second director said.

New Zealand Cricket has confidently dismissed suggestions in the Sunday Times’ that New Zealand players had agreed to meet with a bookmaker to discuss opportunities to fix cricket matches

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2012New Zealand Cricket has confidently dismissed suggestions in the that New Zealand players had agreed to meet with a bookmaker to fix matches. The newspaper, on Sunday, released the results of an investigation it had conducted into fixing and quoted an Indian bookmaker as saying he had turned down the chance to work with New Zealand players because it was not worthwhile with more lucrative match-fixing opportunities on offer in the IPL.”We have complete confidence that the claims made are baseless and have no credibility,” NZC chief executive David White said in a statement responding to enquiries about the article. “The sources are not credible and the accusations are unsubstantiated making them irresponsible, damaging and untrue.”The integrity and reputation of the game is paramount and NZC have absolute confidence that our players share these ideals. We have been in contact with the ICC anti-corruption unit and this is now a matter for them to follow up on.”The article claims that their undercover reporters’ meetings with alleged bookmakers has revealed that fixing is still rife in cricket despite the recent imprisonments of four cricketers for spot-fixing. The ICC has routinely promised that it will investigate the claims uncovered by the newspaper’s investigation.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

Yorkshire will start favourites against Worcestershire in their Friends Life t20 quarter-final as they target a first trip to finals day

Jon Culley24-Jul-2012Never good enough to reach finals day in nine years of trying, never good enough even to earn a home quarter-final, Yorkshire will at least enjoy that privilege when they face Worcestershire at Headingley. Unless the form that has won them seven from eight completed matches in the North Group deserts them at the critical moment, it is hard to imagine that Yorkshire will not go to finals day in the Friends Life t20 in Cardiff on August 25, and possibly as favourites.The Yorkshire transformation has been by some margin the eye-opener in a competition that has found it difficult to attract attention in a damp and chilly summer amid a congested calendar of sport. Some say it is down to the experience brought together in a management trio teaming Jason Gillespie and Paul Farbrace with the established wisdom of Martyn Moxon, others that the signing of two overseas players at the hungry end of their international careers has been the key.While both of those arguments have their strengths, there is another that can be tossed into the debate, namely the appointment of Azeem Rafiq as temporary captain after Andrew Gale dropped out with a hip injury after the third group match. Aged only 21, which made him the youngest player in the county’s history to captain the senior side, Rafiq’s elevation might be seen as shrewd judgment or a lucky gamble but there is no doubt it has paid off handsomely.Given that he had led England sides and Under-15 and Under-19 level and captained Yorkshire in second XI and pre-season matches the gamble was smaller than some might have supposed, although his senior experience was naturally quite limited.Yet Gillespie claimed “it took about five seconds” to conclude that Rafiq was the right man for the job and after five wins from seven completed matches with him in charge, including a comprehensive six-wicket win over strongly fancied Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, it is hard to criticise the Yorkshire hierarchy for making a hasty judgment. When the now recovered Gale returns to lead the side against Worcestershire it will be with a fulsome endorsement of his stand-in.”What I like about Azeem is that I see a bit of myself in him,” Gale said of Rafiq, whose heritage also makes him the first cricketer of Asian origin to captain Yorkshire. But it is not only the “aggressive, up-and-at-’em in-your-face” approach that has impressed Gale. His tactical judgment has also met with approval.”When I am out on the pitch, he comes to me all the time suggesting things,” Gale added, in his weekly newspaper column. “Some lads suggest things and you think: ‘No, that’s not right.’ But what I’ve found nine times out of 10 is that what he suggests is what I’m thinking. I think we’re on the same wavelength.”Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of professional cricket, believes keeping to a pre-meditated game plan made it easier for Rafiq but that he took on the responsibility impressively nonetheless. “He’s got a good cricket brain, and he keeps calm under pressure, which you need to do as a captain,” Moxon said. “We’ve got a set plan on how we want to play, which makes it easier for him in the sense of the bowlers knowing what we’re trying to do. But he’s a great motivator in the field.”It is extraordinary to recall now that Rafiq’s debut for Yorkshire in 2008 cost them a Twenty20 Cup quarter-final after his appearance in a group stage win over Nottinghamshire. Then an academy player, he was selected in good faith but questions over his eligibility led to Yorkshire’s quarter-final against Durham being postponed moments before it was due to begin and ultimately their effective disqualification after the result at Trent Bridge was reversed.If that were a controversy not of his making, the same cannot be said of the error of judgment he made two years ago when an outburst on Twitter against coach John Abrahams on being dropped from an England Under-19 side on disciplinary grounds led to a one-month ban from all cricket. Clearly he has acquired some maturity since then.Worcestershire, having qualified as one of the two best third-placed sides from the group stages, are also bidding to reach finals day for the first time in the 10 years of Twenty20. They might appear to have weaker credentials than Yorkshire, but they emerged from a strong Midlands/Wales/West Group headed by Somerset and Gloucestershire, finishing level with Warwickshire on 11 points but with a better net run rate.What’s more, they possess the 2012 competition’s highest run scorer in opener Philip Hughes, who has hit three half-centuries in an aggregate of 322 from seven innings. Yorkshire, on the other hand, have been well served by several players.Opening batsman Phil Jaques has shared two hundred-plus partnerships – 118 with Gale against Leicestershire at Headingley and 131 with Adam Lyth in the concluding group match against Derbyshire, also at the Leeds ground. David Miller, the 23-year-old South African who forms one half of their overseas duo, hit 28 runs in the last two overs against Durham at Chester-le-Street to finish 74 not out from 35 balls and shared a stand of 91 in 7.1 overs with Gary Ballance against Lancashire at Headingley, in front of a crowd of 10,350.The Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, 22, meanwhile, is the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 18 and has been particularly effective at the end of an innings. There is a question mark over Starc’s availability for finals day after he was called up to Australia’s one-day and Twenty20 squads for their series against Pakistan in the UAE, which includes a one-day international against Afghanistan in Sharjah on August 25.Nottinghamshire’s surprise home defeat to Yorkshire did not preclude them also securing a home quarter-final with Hampshire in the other Wednesday tie. It was their only defeat in 10 North Group matches and, with Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Riki Wessels, Adam Voges, Samit Patel and James Taylor presenting as the strongest top six in the country, they will start as strong favourites, although Glenn Maxwell, the batsman named in Australia’s provisional squad for the World Twenty20, could be a dangerous opponent, especially with Darren Pattinson, a key Nottinghamshire bowler in this competition, failing to recover from a groin injury suffered in a CB40 match on Sunday.

Kenya’s tail wagged feebly, but their efforts served only to delay Afghanistan’s victory on the third day of their Intercontinental Cup match in Dubai

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2013
ScorecardKenya’s tail wagged feebly, but it served only to delay Afghanistan’s eight-wicket victory on the third day of their Intercontinental Cup match in Dubai.The day had begun brightly for Kenya with Hiren Varaiya and Shem Ngoche hitting a four each in the second over. Their stand fetched 30 runs for the ninth wicket before 19-year old seamer Sayed Shirzad bounced Ngoche out to claim his third wicket. No. 11 Elijah Otieno resisted as long as he could while Varaiya collected three of his six fours to push himself to 36 and Kenya to 140.The target of 69 was always going to be straightforward with opener Javed Ahmadi taking Afghanistan eight runs short of victory before nicking to the keeper. The Odhiambo brothers, Nelson and Nehemiah, picked up a wicket each. Rahmat Shah, whose century proved the difference between the two sides in a match that featured 28 wickets falling in two days, was awarded the Man of the Match.The next match for Afghanistan in the Intercontinental Cup is the final against Ireland in December.

Mark Pennell at Canterbury15-Sep-2011
Scorecard
Glamorgan wrapped up an eight-wicket success over Kent with a sessionto spare to secure their second Championship away win of theseason, but this time under the floodlights at Canterbury.Chasing 129 for victory in this first championship game to be playedwith a pink ball and as a day/night fixture, Glamorgan sailed tovictory courtesy of skipper Alviro Petersen with an unbeaten 70 from 54balls and an equally brisk19 from as many deliveries from first-inning top scorer Stewart Walters.The visitors lost Gareth Rees to a slip catch by Alex Blake with 19 onthe board then Will Bragg (30) was comprehensively bowled by MattColes. It proved to be Kent’s final success of the game, however, as Waltersand Petersen then combined to add the 34 runs required for acomprehensive and deserved win.Kent had started the day on 148 for 5 and still trailing by 38 interms of the game overall, but the pink ball, the floodlights and theearly-evening dew were all unknown quantities. In many ways the result rested with Kent’s player-of-the-season and No6 bat Azhar Mahmood who, after resuming on 31, might have batted the Welsh out of the equation.As it was Mahmood plundered seven fours and a six on his way to an eye-catching 70 before he toe-ended an attempted cut shot to the keeperagainst the occasional military-medium seam bowling of Will Bragg. Itwas Bragg’s maiden first class wicket.Though Kent’s acting captain Geraint Jones, playing against his firstcounty, held down one end for a stoic 79 in almost three hours, wicketsfell cheaply around him as Kent finally succumbed for 312.Veteran spinner Dean Cosker was easily the pick of the visiting attackwith 4 for 106 as Glamorgan went home with a win leaving Kent tocontemplate their worst championship finish since 1995.