All posts by h716a5.icu

Gloucestershire captain Alex Gidman scored his first century for nearly two years to lead his side into a commanding position against Leicestershire in their County Championship Division Two match at Grace Road

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2011
Scorecard
Gloucestershire captain Alex Gidman scored his first century for nearly two years to lead his side into a commanding position against Leicestershire in their County Championship Division Two match at Grace Road.Gidman scored a magnificent 168, his first ton since September 2009, as the visitors totalled 504 for nine before declaring, with New Zealander Kane Williamson scoring 149. Off-spinner Jigar Naik was Leicestershire’s most successful bowler, claiming 4 for 91 off 27 overs, while Matthew Hoggard finished with 3 for 80.That left Leicestershire to face eight overs before stumps, and they reached 15 without loss to trail by 489 runs with two days remaining.But the day belonged to Gloucestershire after they resumed on 177 for three, with Williamson on 102 and Gidman unbeaten on 32. Gidman made his intentions clear with a fine six over long-on off left-arm spinner Claude Henderson which brought up his half-century off 83 balls.Williamson was far more circumspect as he progressed to 149, before he was superbly caught low at slip by Will Jefferson off the bowling of Hoggard to end a 196-run fourth-wicket stand, the young New Zealand Test star faced 264 balls, striking 23 boundaries.But Gidman continued to bat impressively with some excellent shots through the leg side and reached a well deserved century off 167 balls, with 11 boundaries in addition to his six. Will Gidman, who has been in better form than his elder brother this season, contributed 16 to a fifth-wicket partnership of 68 before being trapped lbw on the back foot by the ever-improving Naik.The next landmark for Gloucestershire was his sibling’s 150, which was soon followed by the 400 total being posted, giving the visitors their fifth batting bonus point with one ball to spare.Some lusty blows from Ed Young kept the scoreboard moving, but Gidman was out shortly after tea, falling lbw to Henderson after a fine 244-ball innings.After that, it was a case of how quickly Gloucestershire could score to give themselves a chance of bowling Leicestershire out twice and they moved past the 500 mark despite late wickets falling, with Naik claiming three of them.Jefferson and Matt Boyce safely negotiated the last few overs of the evening, with Boyce picking up three boundaries as the home side reached 15 without loss at the close.

The PCB has advertised the job of Pakistan coach, and has set a 15-day deadline for applications

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2011The PCB has advertised the job of Pakistan coach, and has set a 15-day deadline for applications. The three-man committee appointed to select the next coach, comprising ex-Pakistan players Zaheer Abbas, Intikhab Alam and Naushad Ali, met for the first time on September 8 to decide on the criteria for choosing candidates for the role.Ramiz Raja, who had agreed to assist the committee, could not attend the meeting as he was in Zimbabwe, where he is a commentator for Pakistan’s ongoing one-day series.The committee said the job of Pakistan coach was open to candidates from both within and outside Pakistan. Alam, who coached and managed the national side before and is head of the committee, said PCB chairman Ijaz Butt had given them the freedom to choose whoever they wanted as candidates. “The PCB chairman briefed us prior to our meeting and has given us a free hand in the search for the national coach,” Alam said. “We definitely will be considering both local and foreign applicants. The advertisement goes up today and will give interested parties 15 days to apply for the role.”We will scrutinise and interview the candidates and then the PCB will announce the coach in light of our recommendations. Also, the committee can approach someone on their own if they want to.” Alam also said that all the details of the meeting had been emailed to Raja, and confirmed that none of the committee members could themselves apply for the job.The committee was appointed on August 29 following current coach Waqar Younis’ announcement that he would quit after the tour of Zimbabwe due to personal and health reasons. There have been divided opinions on whether Pakistan should go with a local or foreign coach, with Abbas and Raja favouring the former while Alam said the second option was also something Pakistan should consider. Aaqib Javed and Mudassar Nazar, who have both been involved with coaching in Pakistan for several years, were two names that emerged as possible candidates for the role of head coach.

Sri Lanka Women held their nerves to beat West Indies Women by one wicket with two balls to spare. With the win, Sri Lanka have squared the three match ODI series, with a match remaining

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2012
ScorecardShemaine Campbelle’s half-century helped lift West Indies to 197•WICBSri Lanka Women held their nerves to beat West Indies Women by one wicket with two balls to spare. With the win, Sri Lanka have squared the three match ODI series, with a match remaining. Chamani Seneviratna was the star of the match with a quick 36 during the chase, following her two wickets during West Indies’ innings.The chase was held together by Yasoda Mendis’ gritty half-century – she was part of partnerships of 33 for the second wicket, 39 for the third wicket and 32 for the fourth. But with ten runs required with two wickets remaining, it was left up to Seneviratna to make sure that she finished the game.West Indies had set a good foundation for their middle order as opener Juliana Nero, who scored 45, led the team to 67 for 1. But Sri Lanka’s bowlers picked up regular wickets to reduce West Indies to 114 for 5. A half-century by Shemaine Campbelle and her 61-run partnership with Merissa Aguilleira lifted West Indies to 197.

Jacob Oram took four wickets and a great catch as South Africa collapsed from 108 for 2 to 172 all out in Mirpur, handing New Zealand a place in the semi-finals

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera25-Mar-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJacob Oram took four wickets and two catches to trigger a South African collpase in Mirpur•Associated PressOh South Africa, what have you done? Earlier this month Graeme Smith tweeted an article titled ‘Time to ban the ‘C’ word’. Hold on to that thought Smith, for clearly that time hasn’t come yet. South Africa were cruising at 108 for 2 in the 25th over when Jacques Kallis fell and they crash-landed spectacularly to be shot out for 172. The self-destructive streak, demonically masochistic in nature, will perhaps need shrinks to decode it. Once they realised their opponents were cracking under pressure, New Zealand went for the kill with close-in fielders and disciplined bowling, led by Jacob Oram who took four wickets and a great catch.Even when Kallis fell – to a blinder of a catch from Jacob Oram, rushing to his left at deep midwicket – there wasn’t much to suggest that this could turn into another contender for all-time greatest choke in World Cup history. The pitch was slow but there was no sharp turn; the bowlers were disciplined but there was no sensational game-breaking spell; none of the three spinners got much purchase from the wicket; and the total was below par; but for some reason South Africa were feeling extremely claustrophobic.Their nerves were best represented by the dismissal of JP Duminy, who played an awful shot to open the choke gates. Nathan McCullum slowed up the pace on a delivery that landed on a length, outside off, and Duminy went so hard into an ugly cut that he made a complete hash of it and lost his stumps. With Duminy’s fall, South Africa were in a spot of bother at 121 for 4, in the 28th over, and the first signs of something special loomed over Mirpur.There was more heartbreak for South Africa fans in the next over. Faf du Plessis hit straight to midwicket and ran like a headless chicken. AB de Villiers should perhaps have refused that call but he responded, only to find himself well short of the crease. It was at this moment that New Zealand really sensed that this could be their night.The moment was so ripe that even Daniel Vettori, not known for sledging, gave some lip to du Plessis and Kyle Mills, who had carried drinks on to the field at the fall of de Villiers, got into the act. A visibly agitated du Plessis shoved Mills, the departing de Villiers returned to support his partner, and eventually the umpires had to get involved. New Zealand’s players swooped in to the crime scene and it was a classic Youtube moment. You could almost feel the pressure-cooker situation out there.New Zealand crowded the bat with close-in men, ready to sledge and eager to pile on the pressure, and Johan Botha cracked in the 33rd over. It was a lovely legcutter from Oram and Botha played down the wrong line to lose his off stump. Oram, who was the man who started it all with that Kallis catch, wasn’t done yet. In the 35th over, he lured Robin Peterson into edging an attempted cut to the keeper and South Africa were swaying away like drunken men at 132 for 7. South Africa’s nerves were frayed further when Dale Steyn square drove Nathan McCullum in the air to backward point, where who else but Oram accepted the offering.If Oram was the man in the forefront of New Zealand’s resurgence, du Plessis was the man seeking redemption for making that wrong call that led to the run out of de Villiers. In his brief international career, he has already shown a tenacity to remain relatively calm under pressure. And he wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. He was on 14 when Steyn fell, and he took ownership of the chase. He rushed down the track to slam Tim Southee to the straight boundary in the 40th over, on drove Vettori to collect another four in the 41st, and even lifted Oram for a thrilling six over long-off in the 43rd over.It was in the same over that the game turned for one last time, and it was also an over that captured the entire madness of the evening. du Plessis had crashed the first delivery of the over back at Oram who couldn’t hold on to a very difficult chance, and once the six was hit, one had to ask the question: was the night turning for Oram? Was it swinging towards du Plessis? But du Plessis sliced the fifth ball straight to extra cover and South Africa had well and truly sunk into oblivion.The end was a far cry from the way South Africa started the day. They attacked with spin and seam, shuffled their bowlers regularly like a pack of cards, and hustled on the field to keep a tight leash on New Zealand. Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor were at the forefront of a revival from the depths of 16 for 2; carefully, almost mindful of a potential lower-order collapse on this pitch, Ryder and Taylor battled through. The odd boundary signalled growing comfort, but they never broke away decisively. A nervy equilibrium had been reached by the end of the 30th over with New Zealand reaching 112 for 2 and the game was waiting to be seized. However, both Ryder and Taylor departed in quick succession but Kane Williamson made a vital 38 to push New Zealand to 221.It shouldn’t have been enough, it didn’t feel like enough, but it proved enough. It was a crazy crazy night in Mirpur. Ironically, Allan Donald, the man who was involved in the other famous South African choke, was in the other camp tonight.Match Timeline

Fidel Edwards, the West Indies fast bowler, is confident that he is ready for a return to international cricket after nearly two years out

ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-2011Fidel Edwards, the West Indies fast bowler, is confident that he is ready for a return to international cricket after nearly two years out. Edwards, 29, made his first-class comeback in February after back surgery had kept him on the sidelines since the 2009 Champions League, and he was named for this week’s two-day practice match in Guyana.That could pave the way for Edwards to play in the first Test against Pakistan, starting on Thursday. He has had a successful comeback for Barbados in the regional four-day competition, and collected 22 wickets at 23.77 from his six outings.”I’m very happy to be back,” Edwards said. “I spent a long time out but I’ve made a full recovery and my body is ready to play five-day cricket again. I did a lot of good work with my trainer and the physio in Barbados and they were tremendous help to me during my comeback period.”I felt I bowled well for Barbados and that helped me. I spent some time at the camp in Barbados before the series started and I felt comfortable. I did some work with the head coach (Ottis Gibson) during the camp and things have been going smoothly.”I’m really looking ahead to what is upcoming. This series against Pakistan is a good place to start. I’m focussed and I’m looking to stay fit and strong. I’m looking to get wickets and help the West Indies to success. There is a lot to play for and I’m looking forward.”I have some goals I’m looking to achieve and one thing is to help the team win and move back up the ladder. This is vitally important to the team overall and to the supporters of West Indies cricket.”West Indies are currently seventh on the Test rankings table, but they will move up to sixth if they win the two-match series against Pakistan. However, they will need to turn around some poor form in the longest format; West Indies haven’t won any of their past 17 Tests, a winless streak stretching back to February 2009.

Virender Sehwag, India’s vice-captain for the World Cup, has said that he is “fully fit” for the tournament that begins on February 19

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2011Virender Sehwag, India’s vice-captain for the World Cup, has said that he is “fully fit” for the tournament that begins on February 19. Sehwag missed India’s five-match one-day series following the Tests in South Africa to attend to a shoulder injury, but says his recovery is well on track.”I was feeling some pain in my shoulder,” Sehwag told Indian news channel . “So [I thought it was] better to quit the South Africa one-dayers. I didn’t want to get injured in South Africa tour and miss the World Cup. So I came back and went to Germany to see a couple of doctors. I got a couple of injections and now I’m fine.”I am going to the National Cricket Academy [in Bangalore] and will spend a couple of days there, to check everything – if I can bowl and throw also but if I can’t, then I’ll let them know. But yes, at the moment I’m fully fit.”Sehwag is wary of the opening game against Bangladesh, who had derailed India’s 2007 World Cup campaign with a shock win. “Because we’re playing the opening game against them in Bangladesh, Bangladeshi people are expecting them to beat us again. But this time we have to prepare well … You can say it is a revenge game for us and we won’t take the game lightly. We will give our best shot and we will come hard on Bangladesh.”Sehwag was confident of India’s chances against the other major teams in Group B – South Africa, England and West Indies. “When we played against England last time, we won 5-0 and against South Africa we did well in South Africa and we have done well; when Sachin Tendulkar got the double hundred [in Gwalior], we won the series. West Indies have good players like Pollard and Gayle, if they click then maybe it’s difficult for us but India also have very good players.”

A marathon unbeaten half-century from Pikky Ya France and Gerrie Snyman’s 88 helped Namibia save their Intercontinental Cup match against Scotland in Windhoek

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-2011
ScorecardA marathon unbeaten half-century from Pikky Ya France and Gerrie Snyman’s 88 helped Namibia save their Intercontinental Cup match against Scotland in Windhoek. Scotland added 36 runs to their overnight total, leaving Namibia 384 to win in a little less than a day. It was always going to be a case of batting out the day for Namibia and Ya France stuck it out for 225 balls on his way to 63 not out. Snyman played a more aggressive knock, hitting 14 fours and three sixes, and the two took Namibia to safety.Offspinner Majid Haq, who had taken six wickets in Namibia’s first innings, caused a flutter of nerves in the Namibia camp when he dismissed Christi Viljoen and Sarel Burger within eight overs. Seamer Richie Berrington then bowled Craig Williams to leave Namibia 99 for 3. But Ya France and Snyman ensured there was no collapse.Scotland had led by 87 runs after the first innings but, perhaps, did not leave their bowlers enough time to bowl Namibia out.

After slugging it out for four games South Africa finally delivered the knock-out punch in the deciding, fifth one-day international to consign Pakistan to 3-2 series loss in Dubai

The Bulletin by Sahil Dutta08-Nov-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJP Duminy’s brisk half-century helped set up South Africa’s series win•AFPAfter slugging it out for four games South Africa finally delivered the knock-out punch in the deciding, fifth one-day international to consign Pakistan to a 3-2 series loss in Dubai.Twice South Africa have faltered and allowed Pakistan back into the series but this time Jacques Kallis’s allround prowess – first making 83 to help set an imposing 317 and then taking three crucial wickets – helped seal a comprehensive 57-run win.What looked like just another one-day series played out to anonymity in the desert after the opening match, developed into a classic tussle as two flawed, vastly contrasting sides could not be separated until the last.Pakistan’s preparation for the finale could not have been more chaotic as their wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider disappeared on the morning of the match, setting off to London in a cloud of mystery. Crisis is hardwired into Pakistan cricket but even by their standards this was bizarre.Given the circumstances most other teams would have crumbled and though Pakistan managed to compete they were under pressure from the off as fifties from Hashim Amla, Kallis and AB de Villiers laid the foundations for a late surge from JP Duminy that carried South Africa to 317 and out of sight.The Pakistan openers did their best to set up a contest before Kallis ripped through the top order, taking three wickets in as many overs, to leave Pakistan with a mountain to climb. Despite a characteristic flurry from Shahid Afridi and a well-crafted 60 from Umar Akmal, who also kept wicket in Haider’s absence, Pakistan never quite threatened to pull off a mammoth chase.Credit must go to Kallis but the tone was set, as per usual, by Amla. He continued his phenomenal run of form with a boundary-leaden half-century. All season he has shown one-day batting extends beyond barrel-chested power and he passed 1000 ODI runs for the calendar year as he punished Pakistan’s new-ball pairing and raced to fifty from 33 balls.If Amla’s style is poetic, Kallis is altogether more prosaic. Happy to ease along in the slipstream he collected singles and doubles with ease and after Amla’s dismissal, chipping tamely to long-off, he shared a 121-run stand with de Villiers.Neither de Villiers nor Kallis were particularly expansive but they barely raised a sweat as the waltzed along close to a run a ball. Abdur Rehman did his best to check the rate with an impressive spell of brisk, accurate left-arm spin but at 219 for 2 in the 38th over, Pakistan were staring down the barrel.They recovered, momentarily, with three wickets for nine runs in 14 deliveries as South Africa ignored the Batting Powerplay and lost both set batsmen, and Colin Ingram in a hurry. Yet, just as Pakistan’s fortunes looked to have picked up JP Duminy found his best range to crown the innings with a flourish.Sixty-four runs came off the last five overs as Duminy laid into the wheezing Shoaib Akhtar and Wahab Riaz. Duminy looks to have recovered his poise this season after a chastening experience last year and will be a key man in similar conditions at the World Cup.The chase always looked out of reach but Pakistan were gifted an enterprising start by Shahzaib Hasan and Mohammad Hafeez, who added 81 in the opening 12 overs. It was Pakistan’s best opening stand of the series and South Africa were visibly relieved when Kallis burst through.After being taken for 11 in his opening over Kallis struck in each of his next three. First Shahzaib skewed a drive to find Morkel at mid-on, before Younis Khan gloved a short ball down the leg side.If his wicket magnified the difficulty of Pakistan’s task Mohammad Yousuf’s tame fall two overs later rammed home South Africa’s advantage. Yousuf only landed in Dubai yesterday but replaced Asad Shafiq at No. 4 and duly fell quickly, guiding a length ball off the face to de Villiers.The slide continued when Fawad Alam feathered a rapid short ball from Steyn to fall for 1. In all four wickets had fallen for 19 runs in 33 balls to rip the stuffing out of Pakistan’s reinforced middle order.After Hafeez fell shortly after reaching his half-century Afridi and Akmal briefly threatened a recovery. The required rate had climbed but both found the boundary regularly enough to keep South Africa on edge until Afridi ran down the wicket, and straight past a flighted delivery from Robin Peterson to give de Villiers his first stumping in ODI cricket.Peterson came into the side in place of the big-hitting David Miller and justified his selection with an impressive display of left-arm spin. Twice he beat Afridi early on before nailing his man for 24. Together with Abdul Razzak, Akmal tried to engineer a miracle but slapped a Steyn full toss straight to Smith at cover to all but end the resistance.Fittingly it was Peterson who finished the job, castling Shoaib to leave Pakistan still in search of a ODI series win against South Africa.

West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Bruce mentioned in recent weeks that he will be looking to conduct a rather significant overhaul at The Hawthorns during the upcoming summer transfer window.

Having ended the season in 10th place with 67 points on the board after winning 18, drawing 13 and losing 15 of their 46 games, it’s easy to see why it could be a busy summer for the Baggies as they aim to win promotion back to the Premier League.

One area of the squad where the Midlands club could look to strengthen is in defence.

Despite conceding just 45 goals, fewer than all but three teams in the Championship (each of whom finished in the top four), the Baggies have already been linked with one defender who could come in and make them stronger at the back.

Having been linked with a swoop for Blackburn’s Darragh Lenihan, who is out of contract in the summer, this could give Bruce the chance to create a formidable pairing at the back with the Rovers ace and current Baggies centre-half Kyle Bartley.

With two more appearances in the league this season to his name than the West Brom defender, Lenihan has also made more interceptions and tackles along the way, highlighting his talents at the back.

Furthermore, the Irishman has made considerably more crosses (54) throughout this campaign than the West Brom defender (two), showing that he can be an attacking threat as well as a tough opponent at the back.

The Blackburn tank, dubbed a “man mountain” by his manager Tony Mowbray, has also averaged 4.1 clearances per game, which is just above Bartley’s average of four per match.

Taking all this into account, having a £14k-per-week titan like Lenihan in the team next to Bartley could be exactly what Bruce and West Brom need in order to ensure they have a better chance of securing promotion next season by being harder to beat.

Additionally, with the possibility of a free transfer on the cards, this could be a great bit of business from the Midlands club from a financial point of view, and it may then allow them to spend money on strengthening other areas of the squad.

In other news: John Percy drops behind-the-scenes WBA transfer claim, supporters will be buzzing

Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has shared the club’s interest in Aberdeen defender Calvin Ramsay.

The Lowdown: Ramsay profiled

Ramsay is just 18 years of age who is primarily a right-back who can also play as a right midfielder.

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Already a Scotland U21 international, Ramsay has made 38 senior appearances for Aberdeen, contributing to 10 goals in the process.

Labelled as ‘quality’ by Paul Robinson, Ramsay was linked with a move to Elland Road earlier this year, and it looks as if he is still on the radar after Jesse Marsch replaced Marcelo Bielsa.

The Latest: Hay’s claim

Hay shared a story on The Athletic on Saturday morning following a record attendance at Elland Road for Leeds’ U23s clash with Man City.

He revealed that the Whites are tracking Ramsay, who would ‘not take long to move into first-team contention’, with the reporter even calling Aberdeen’s gem a ‘rising star north of the border’.

The Verdict: First signing?

It looks as if Leeds will have to act fast when it comes to Ramsay as Liverpool are thought to be planning a bid for the teenager.

Therefore, it looks as if Ramsay could well be Marsch’s first signing as manager, despite RB Salzburg’s Brenden Aaronson remaining a top target heading into the summer.

Ramsay’s potential arrival may pose question marks on Cody Drameh’s Elland Road future, with Bournemouth reportedly making an enquiry for the youngster ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

In other news: Leeds on alert as Tottenham now willing to sell ‘flawless’ gem who Orta wants at Elland Road.