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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.

Pravin Amre wanted Robin Uthappa to bat for at least 18 overs against Royal Challengers Bangalore as the coach was sure the batsman would overtake Glenn Maxwell as the leading run-maker this IPL season

Nagraj Gollapudi22-May-2014On Wednesday afternoon, Pravin Amre, the former India batsman, set Robin Uthappa a challenge. Amre asked Uthappa to bat a minimum of 18 overs in Kolkata Knight Riders’ home match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Uthappa went one step further by playing out the entire 20 overs and finishing with his highest score in the IPL – an unbeaten 83, which proved to be the match-winning innings.”I asked him to play till the end of the 18th over. He gave me the bonus by staying till the end of the innings,” Amre, Uthappa’s personal coach, told ESPNcricinfo. “My motive for asking him that was because I was sure he would go past Glenn Maxwell as the highest run-maker in the tournament. That would give him more satisfaction.”This was Uthappa’s fifth half-century this season and helped him snatch the orange cap from Maxwell. Uthappa now has 572 runs from 13 innings at an average of 47.66 and a strike-rate of 137.50. An ecstatic Uthappa went on to initially apologise to his coach and his team for not being able to convert his starts in earlier matches before dedicating the orange cap to Amre.”A student like him is a coach’s delight. You feel great when your work is recognised by your student. That satisfaction is different,” Amre said. Amre, who was recently brought back for his second stint as Mumbai coach, followed the match on TV at his home in the city and the pride and emotion of the moment was evident in his comments.Amre said this knock was his favourite. “He was getting the starts but the major challenge was to play all the 20 overs. To stay and play the 120th delivery is the biggest challenge in that format because you have to maintain a particular run-rate. Every pitch is different, every attack is different and to still perform in so many back-to-back matches was really nice to see.”The icing on the cake for Amre was delivered by Uthappa when he punched an immaculate, lofted straight drive against Mitchell Starc for a four. “The way he hit that last ball with a pure cricketing shot. He anticipated that last ball really well and did not go for a big six. He has been consistently hitting boundaries without going for the big strokes. The whole purpose of us coming along was to make sure he would play the right strokes.”Amre said he had emphasised on playing with the full face of the bat. In the past, Uthappa’s bat-face would close as he went for his strokes, thereby mistiming or making costly errors. “Today the other stroke I enjoyed watching was when he hit the spinner (Yuzvendra Chahal) for a six with a straight elbow and the full face of the bat. Earlier, he used to hit over midwicket effortlessly. But he has become better at timing and playing technically correct shots.”Uthappa appointed Amre as his personal coach in 2012. The pair worked diligently in this two-year period, with Uthappa travelling constantly to Mumbai where Amre conducted extensive drills. The success of the partnership became evident when Uthappa played a crucial role in Karnataka finishing with a historic treble in the domestic season.The most important point Amre has hammered constantly into Uthappa’s mind has been to keep it simple, even in T20. “I firmly believe your basics have to be correct for any format but more for T20. You can then survive and also be a match-winner. Normally in T20 players try to play extraordinary cricket. But for talented players like Robin if they stick to play normal cricketing strokes they will end up with an extraordinary performance.”Amre had watched Uthappa fail as a middle-order batsman in four of his first five innings this season during the initial phase in the UAE. But once Uthappa asked the team management and got back to his favourite opening position, he became highly consistent. In eight successive innings at the top of the order, Uthappa’s lowest score has been 40. “He has created opportunities as an opener and made use of the opportunity of being an opener,” Amre said.Uthappa’s performances have led Knight Riders into the playoffs after their early wobbles in the UAE. According to Amre, Uthappa has crossed the first barrier. His next hurdle would be to take forward the momentum into the playoffs. “The knockout (stage) is a different tournament and that is why he has to keep calm. His contributions will again become important for his team so it is time for him to forget about the league stage and start from scratch.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the teams participating in the USACA T20 National Championship

Peter Della Penna14-Aug-2014Group A
South East will be banking on the batting prowess of Steven Taylor, who recently became the first American to score a hundred in Twenty20 cricket•Peter Della PennaNew York
On paper, the strongest team in the tournament. Led by former USA captain Steve Massiah, the squad includes seven current and former USA players. Their bowling unit is balanced with Adam Sanford, George Adams and Casper Davis, Jr leading the pace attack, and with support from Barrington Bartley, Karan Ganesh and Prashanth Nair in the spin department. While the squad is by no means old, the team boasts far more experience than just about every other participating side. New York have entered tournaments in the past in confident fashion due to similar depth but sometimes struggled to come away with hardware.South West
The team that has the best chance of taking out New York in the group, the squad is dominated by players from the Southern California Cricket Association, which left USACA to join the ACF. However, USACA relaxed its stance on non-sanctioned league players participating so that the traditionally strong region could send a team to this event. South West will be weakened by the absence of Elmore Hutchinson in the pace department, but their batting is rock solid with the presence of the Thyagarajan brothers, Aditya and Arjun, as well as Ravi Timbawala, Ritesh Kadu and former Gujarat allrounder Timil Patel. Central West
One of the strongest growing regions of cricket in the country with thriving Texas leagues in Dallas and Houston, Central West will be coached in the tournament by former Pakistan international Asif Mujtaba. The team is captained by Usman Shuja, USA’s second-highest wicket-taker in 50-over cricket, but they are weakened by the absence of big hitters Sushil Nadkarni and Orlando Baker. Much of their success will depend on the ability of the younger batsmen in the squad to step up and adapt quickly to the increased level of competition.North East
A region that is often ignored at selection time, there is some decent talent lurking in this squad that could catch some of the other teams sleeping if they are not prepared. Their batting is spearheaded by Sharaz Baksh while other unheralded contributors in the squad include Twain Walter and Fazal Alam as well as Jonathan Bonner, younger brother of Jamaica Tallawahs and West Indies international Nkrumah Bonner. The team received a late boost when former USA and Karnataka batsman Aditya Mishra was added to the squad, as he is likely to provide much-needed stability and leadership.Group B
Atlantic
Atlantic have a much younger squad than the one that won the tournament championship in 2011 when they were led by Neil McGarrell, and had other solid performers in Mishra and Gowkaran Roopnarine. However, there is still plenty of promising talent that should get them at least to the semi-final stage. The squad is led by fast bowler Imran Awan with support from fellow Washington D.C. pacer Adil Bhatti, left-arm spinner Danial Ahmed and batsman Charan Singh.Central East
The squad is dominated by players from the Midwest Cricket Conference, which also holds membership in USACA’s rival governing body, American Cricket Federation. Perhaps the MCC’s biggest star is the former USA Under-19 representative Fahad Babar, who made his senior debut in the UAE during last year’s World T20 Qualifiers. Earlier this year, Babar set a Central East Region record by scoring 278 off 97 balls in a league match.North West
One of the best organized regions, the squad is infused with a lot of young talent, including a series of recent USA junior national team representatives like Vibhav Altekar, Pranay Suri and former USA Under-19 captain Shiva Vashishat. Allrounders Saqib Saleem and Srini Santhanam provide middle-order depth to the team while several other players like Rishi Bhardwaj and Srini Salver who have been fixtures in the regional side for several years, will be looking to make a strong impression in Florida.South East
This squad lacks the overall depth of the others, but possess the biggest wildcard in the draw that no one else can compete with in explosive wicketkeeper-batsman Steven Taylor, who has a well-established reputation at international level after scoring 162 against Nepal last year. Taylor was also the first USA batsman to score a T20 century and he enjoys bullying local bowling attacks. However, beyond Taylor and South East captain Japen Patel, there is a distinct lack of talent and experience, so losing both the players early in the games may cause South East to be exposed.

Rangana Herath sprung from Sri Lanka’s dugout, watched his team-mates collapse, then crafted a Twenty20 spell of astounding quality to slam New Zealand into a wall, claiming five wickets for three runs, as Sri Lanka defended 119

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando31-Mar-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:42

Crowe: Herath immaculate from ball one

Rangana Herath sprung from Sri Lanka’s dugout, watched his team-mates collapse, then crafted a Twenty20 spell of astounding quality to slam New Zealand into a wall, claiming five wickets for three runs as Sri Lanka defended 119 and made the semi-finals. He arrived at the bowling crease in the third over, delivered a wicket maiden first up, and had three scalps before New Zealand scored a run off him. By the end of his three-over spell, New Zealand were 30 for 5 – effectively 6, as a dislocated finger prevented Corey Anderson from batting. Kane Williamson batted gamely, hitting 42 off 43 – the game’s top score – but he could not overcome the carnage at the other end.The dew Brendon McCullum had expected at the toss in this must-win game did not materialise, and though an attack led by Trent Boult justified his decision to chase, his batsmen were stunned to a stall in the Powerplay. They managed 60 for 9 in 15.3 overs, as Sachithra Senanayake and poor running contributed the remaining wickets.Rangana Herath had claimed three wickets before New Zealand had scored a run off him•Getty ImagesOne of those run-outs would provide Sri Lanka and Herath the opening they had been desperate for, with at least 30 runs too few on the board. Martin Guptill pushed a full Herath delivery gently towards mid -on, and though he set off for the single immediately, Williamson did not respond. Herath collected, turned and threw smartly to complete that first wicket, but it would be his next 11 balls that truly defined the match.Brendon McCullum was kept scoreless for four balls before Herath tossed one up slow and wide, reading McCullum’s advance, before he spun Ross Taylor in his web next over. Taylor survived a plumb lbw shout, but was out to a straighter one immediately. James Neesham played all around one that straightened, and when Luke Ronchi was trapped in front by another straightening ball next over, New Zealand had been knocked breathless.Crucially, the top-order collapse had been dramatic enough to subdue New Zealand’s typically-ebullient middle order. Nathan McCullum hit two runs from his first eight balls before clipping Senanayake straight to short midwicket, before Senanayake trapped Kyle Mills in front with one that replays suggested would head down leg.Dilshan fined for dissent

Sri Lanka batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan has been fined 20% of his match fee for showing dissent at the umpire’s decision during the match against New Zealand on Monday in Mirpur. The incident happened in the fourth over, when Dilshan was dismissed caught behind. He attempted an audacious reverse Dilscoop off Trent Boult, with the ball deflecting off his gloves to the wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi. He then rubbed his elbow, indicating to the umpire that the ball had not touched his gloves. Dilshan pleaded guilty to the offence and was fined by the ICC match referee David Boon.

The required rate had spiked higher than 12 when Herath returned for his final over, and the wicket that sealed the victory came in fitting fashion. Herath not only completed his five-wicket-haul when Trent Boult hit one to slip, the catch was also gobbled by Mahela Jayawardene, who despite what the teamsheet stated, was Sri Lanka’s captain on the night. He had kept a short leg and slip to the spinners, after Brendon McCullum had been similarly aggressive with his fields in the first innings.If Herath had been the exemplary spinner, New Zealand’s attack had earlier shown how to bowl seam on such pitches. Boult found movement in the air and off the surface, pitching up to the left-hand batsmen as he shaped it away and back-of-a-length to the right-hand batsmen, cramping them. Dilshan had been struggling for timing throughout the tournament, and his tortured innings came to an end when he scooped one high into the keeper’s gloves in the third over. Sangakkara was limp in his 11-ball knock, and the middle order would crumble around Jayawardene, who did not appear fluent himself.New Zealand fielded superbly as Neesham, Mitchell McClenaghan and Nathan McCullum bowled impeccable lines through the middle overs. Nathan would taunt Jayawardene into the sweep that ended his innings, and left Sri Lanka at 85 for 6 at the end of the 15th over.Sri Lanka batted deep, with Senanayake coming in at No. 9, and it was his strike to long-on that would cause Anderson’s injury on the rope, as the fielder palmed a relatively straightforward catch over the boundary.New Zealand were energetic at the change-of-innings, feeling, perhaps rightly, that they had a terrific chance, but it was to be Herath and Sri Lanka that earned their sixth straight semi-final in ICC events.

West Indies banked on a frenetic finish, but Sri Lanka’s bowlers had choked the chase to suffocation-point before heavy rain, then marble-sized hail, cut the innings short and sent Sri Lanka to yet another major final

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Apr-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLahiru Thirimanne lifted Sri Lanka with a lively 44•ICCWest Indies banked on a frenetic finish, but Sri Lanka’s bowlers had choked the chase to suffocation-point before heavy rain, then marble-sized hail, cut the innings short and sent Sri Lanka to yet another major final. When the heavens opened, West Indies had needed 81 from 37 balls, with six wickets remaining. The Duckworth-Lewis calculation had them 27 runs adrift.It was always a dangerous ploy to begin the chase slowly, but doubly so with rain in the air, and against an attack that features better death bowlers than most in the competition. West Indies had actually scored 17 from the first, wayward over from Nuwan Kulasekara, but as an unambitious Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels hunkered down, they mustered only 17 from the next six.Sri Lanka’s spinners were allowed to settle, and soon, even the expansive shots were being mistimed. Dwayne Bravo tonked 30 for 19, as messages from the dugout implored Samuels to shift into overdrive, but when Bravo fell in the 14th over, West Indies’ chances grew desperately slim.Darren Sammy, who has been the finisher of the tournament, was about to face his first ball when the weather intruded. Two Lasith Malinga overs remained, however, and the required rate may have been beyond even Sammy’s rapid blade.Only Tillakaratne Dilshan prospered out of Sri Lanka’s senior batsmen, and even he scored only at a run-a-ball, running two batsmen out, including himself, in the process. Kusal Perera’s bold 26 from 12 and Angelo Mathews’ canny 40 from 23 gave the innings its flourishes, while Lahiru Thirimanne’s 44 from 35 was its substance.Perera had dealt powerfully to Krishmar Santokie through the leg side, to set Sri Lanka off at more than 10 an over in the first four, before Santokie had him playing on to a leg cutter. Mahela Jayawardene, so often Sri Lanka’s big-game performer, was dismissed cruelly before he had had the chance to make an impact with the bat. Dilshan called him through after chopping one to point, but sharp work in the infield and a good throw over the stumps caught Jayawardene short, before he faced a ball. Kumar Sangakkara’s demise for 1 from six balls was of his own making. He pushed out early against a slower Samuel Badree ball and lobbed a simple catch to the bowler.Dilshan lacked fluency, as he has done throughout the tournament, but combined sagely with Thirimanne for 42 to lift Sri Lanka from 49 for 3. He would run himself out too, haring out of the crease when there was no run to be had, but Thirimanne completed the recovery, striking two sixes – including an uppercut over third man off Andre Russell. Thirimanne’s innings was as secure as it was well-paced, setting the team up for a death-over spike, with wickets in the bank.Mathews had been tentative against Sunil Narine early in his innings, often having his outside edge beaten as he prodded. But having been 13 from 14 balls, he gathered pace against Santokie in the penultimate over, to help deliver a furious finish worth 32 in the final two overs. Mathews slammed Santokie over long-on first ball, before collecting a four in the same spot.Then, when West Indies strengthened the on side, he made room to loft a length ball over cover for four. A flat, fast six over cover next over was the shot of the innings, and a hooked four sent Sri Lanka to 160, before Mathews was athletically caught at deep midwicket by an advancing Bravo, last ball.Dwayne Smith slogged a four then launched a six off the first two balls of the reply, but following that over, West Indies slowed almost to a stall – first by choice, then by coercion. Malinga arrived in the Powerplay and in his first over bowled Gayle, then Smith with offcutters, before Llendl Simmons was out lbw to Seekkuge Prasanna’s first ball of the tournament. At 34 for 3 in the eighth over, West Indies had backed themselves into a mighty corner.Bravo lashed out valiantly as Sri Lanka’s slow-bowling phalanx sought to tamp the run rate down even further. He walloped Rangana Herath and Prasanna over cover, but with Samuels flatlining at the other end and Sri Lanka’s fielders throwing themselves around to save boundaries, he could not quite spur a game-breaking charge. A Kulasekara slower ball had him caught at square leg as the required rate spiked over 12. When wild winds brought the downpour over the Sher-e-Bangla later in that over, Samuels was unbeaten on 18 from 29.

Michael Clarke did not train at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday due to his stiff and sore ankle but Cricket Australia insists he is not in doubt for the second Test

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2013Michael Clarke did not train at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday due to his stiff and sore ankle but Cricket Australia insists he is not in doubt for the second Test.Clarke appeared to roll his right ankle while running at training on Monday and although he left the field, he was able to return for fielding and batting practice.A Cricket Australia spokesman said on Tuesday that Clarke’s ankle was a “bit stiff” but said: “He will train tomorrow and will play the game.”Clarke scored 113 in the second innings of Australia’s win in the first Test at the Gabba, The second Test begins in Adelaide on Thursday.

A round-up of the National Cricket League matches that ended on February 2, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2014Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam triggered Sylhet Division’s collapse in the second innings to help Rajshahi Division win by 93 runs in Fatullah. Sylhet were bowled out for 75 on the third day after being set 169 to win.Sylhet were ahead of the game from the first day, after bowling out Rajshahi for just 217 in the first innings. The seamer Abu Jayed took five wickets while the left-arm spinner Enamul Haque jnr picked up four. They went on to take a 27-run lead after Sayem Alam’s 83 helped them to 244. However, a six-for from Saqlain Sajib meant that Sylhet couldn’t build on that score.Taijul top-scored with 43 in Rajshahi’s second innings but the team could only make 195, as Enamul finished with 5 for 85 to run through their line-up.Taijul, however, turned the game around and capped off a fine all-round performance. He took six wickets in the second innings to take his tally in the match to 10, and bowl Sylhet out cheaply in 29 overs. Taijul ended the game with figures of 10 for 98 – his second 10-wicket haul in first-class cricket- and was named Man of the Match.Dhaka Division crushed Rangpur Division by 10 wickets, with Mohammad Sharif picking up the Player-of-the-Match award for his seven wickets in the match.After losing the toss, Dhaka made 616 for 7 in the first innings with Shuvagata Hom top scoring with 165 and Raqibul Hasan making 154. Nurul Hasan was unbeaten on 109 off 105 balls when Sharif declared on the second day.Rangpur replied with 315 in 84.1 overs, with Sharif and Dewan Sabbir taking three wickets each. They had a 301-run deficit in the second innings, and they ran into trouble when they slipped to 6 for 65. They recovered well, with Saymon Ahmed making 61 while Ariful Haque and Tanveer Haider missed hundreds by very little. Ariful got out for 98 while Tanveer was unbeaten on 95, and Rangpur were dismissed for 309 in the second innings.Dhaka only had to chase a target of 9, which they did in just four balls.The match between defending champions Khulna Division and Barisal Division> ended in a draw. Barisal ended on 122 for 5 after being set 220 to win.Khulna made 357 after they were asked to bat. Robiul Islam Robi, Anamul Haque, Tushar Imran and Ziaur Rahman made half centuries. Golam Kabir and Fazle Mahmud took three wickets each for Barisal.Barisal conceded a first-innings lead of 105 after they were bowled out for 252. Nuruzzaman and Kamrul Islam made fifties. Khulna replied poorly, though, getting bowled out for 114 in their second innings. Kamrul Islam took four wickets.Barisal made a poor start in the final innings, when both openers Fazle Mahmud and Shahriar Nafees got out for ducks. As a result, they gave up the chase early. Barisal’s Kamrul was adjudged Player-of-the-Match for his six wickets and half-century.Dhaka Metropolis beat Chittagong Division by 127 runs, with Mohammad Shahid producing an all-round effort.Dhaka Metropolis were bowled out for 221 in the first innings, but Chittagong were bowled out for 195 in reply. Shahid took five wickets. Dhaka Metropolis then batted better, scoring 289 in their second innings. Shahid top-scored with 64 after coming in to bat at No 9.Set 316 to win, Chittagong were bowled out for 188 with Nafees Iqbal making 68 at the top. Shahid took four wickets while Saikat Ali took five.

Michael Clarke, the Australia captain, has been fined 20% of his match fee for his sledge against James Anderson during the dying stages of Australia’s win in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2013Michael Clarke, the Australia captain, has been fined 20% of his match fee for his sledge against James Anderson during the dying stages of Australia’s win in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane.The ICC charged Clarke with a breach of its Code of Conduct over comments he made while Anderson was batting late on Sunday. The stump microphone picked up Clarke telling Anderson he should “get ready for a broken f***ing arm”, which led to umpire Kumar Dharmasena and third official Marais Erasmus bringing a charge under section 2.1.4 of the code, which deals with “language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting”.Clarke admitted the offence on Monday morning and accepted the fine proposed by match referee Jeff Crowe, which meant a formal hearing was not required. Clarke was charged with a level one offence, which carries the penalty of a warning/reprimand and/or a fine of up to 50% of the player’s match fee.In a statement, the ICC said that Clarke had “made inappropriate gestures and directed an obscenity towards England’s James Anderson, which was picked up by the stump microphone”. After the Test, Clarke said he had heard plenty worse on the cricket field than anything that was said at the Gabba.”Through my career, there has always been banter on the cricket field – and I cop as much as I give, that’s for sure,” he said on Sunday evening. “That’s part and parcel of the game … but all the England players know we certainly respect them, and we understand we have to be at our best to beat them. I’ve heard a lot worse said on a cricket field than what the Australia players or the England players said throughout this Test match.”

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.

Michael Lumb made the highest T20 score by a Nottinghamshire player to help his side to an eight-wicket win over Durham at Chester-le-Street

06-Jul-2013
ScorecardMichael Lumb crashed the ball to all parts but fell four runs short of a century•Getty ImagesMichael Lumb made the highest T20 score by a Nottinghamshire player to help his side to an eight-wicket win over Durham at Chester-le-Street. Lumb fell just four runs short of a deserved century as the Outlaws made it four wins from four by chasing down 154 for 4 with 4.3 overs to spare.Durham’s acting captain Mark Stoneman made his first Twenty20 half-century but his innings was overshadowed by Lumb who hit 14 fours and three sixes in his imperious 53-ball stay. Lumb would have been run out on 14 had Ben Stokes hit the stumps from cover, and on 72 he was dropped by Scott Borthwick when he appeared to be dazzled by the sun running in from deep cover.Lumb took 30 balls to reach his half-century and was cantering towards three figures, driving Borthwick for his third six, when he went down the track and was stumped. That was off the last ball of the 15th over when only eight were needed to win.Lumb scored 39 of the first 47 runs before his England opening partner Alex Hales also got going. He made room to hit two fours through the covers in offspinner Ryan Pringle’s first over then hit two fours and a six over square leg off Mark Wood’s first four balls.The stand was worth 91 in nine overs when Hales pushed forward and was bowled by off spinner Gareth Breese’s first ball.Skipper David Hussey put Durham in and came on to bowl when they were 81 for one after 11 overs. By the time he had bagged 2 for 23 in four overs of his occasional offspin the hosts had no chance of posting a competitive total.They had also been throttled by Samit Patel conceding only 16 in his first three overs of left-arm spin, but when he returned for the 19th over Breese got after him. The first ball was lofted over extra cover for six and the Jamaican also found the boundary with a lofted reverse sweep and a straight drive as 18 came off the over.Stoneman reached 50 off 40 balls but appeared to be bamboozled by Hussey firing the ball in at leg stump from around the wicket. Only three came off his first over and in his second he yorked Stoneman for 51. A similar ball accounted for Borthwick, who made 44 off 37 balls, while the other two wickets both went to Jake Ball. It was only in the 19th over that Durham found any real momentum and their total never looked like being enough.