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The BCB is planning to host the third edition of the Bangladesh Premier League early next year, slotting it in between the World Cup and the IPL

Mohammad Isam27-Aug-2014The BCB is planning to host the third edition of the Bangladesh Premier League early next year, slotting it in between the World Cup and the IPL. Earlier, the board had suggested holding it later this year but overdue player payments are still dogging the tournament, and its governing council is now seeking legal advice as to how to recover various pending claims from the franchises.”We had December 2014, April 2015 and November 2015 as options,” BCB president Nazmul Hassan said. “The board thought that it won’t be wise to hold a Twenty20 tournament in December this year as it will be right ahead of the one-day World Cup. So we have decided April is the best option.”The BCB had nominated itself as the guarantor for player payments ahead of the second edition of the BPL last year, but according to Hassan, there is still a fair amount left to be paid to the players, even while the board is seeking unpaid money from the franchises and the tournament’s event-management company.”The board, as the guarantor of payment to both local and international players, will pay the money at the earliest,” he said. “But this doesn’t mean that there is any room for the franchises and [BPL’s event-management firm] Game On Sports to relax. We will get into legal action against the franchisees in a day or two in order to realise the debts.”On the other hand, we have formed a five-member committee which will be responsible to talk to Game On Sports or their representatives, and provide the board with a report within 15 days.”The last reported player claim was on February 28 when Netherlands’ Ryan ten Doeschate, West Indies’ Kevon Cooper, Zimbabwe’s Brendan Taylor and England players Ravi Bopara and Jason Roy said that they were still due money by Chittagong Kings.

Ravi Shastri was proud of India bouncing back to win the ODI series in England but was non-committal about continuing his role of team director

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Sep-2014Ravi Shastri, who was appointed India’s team director in the wake of the 3-1 defeat in the Test series in England, said he was proud of how the team bounced back to claim the ODIs by the same margin.Reviewing his role and India’s limited-overs performance, Shastri also credited the support staff, including head coach Duncan Fletcher, whose future has been hotly debated in light of India suffering a second successive Test series loss in England under his watch.”I got more than I would have expected,” Shastri said. “I say that only because England’s record at home, not many sides have thrashed them 3-1 in a four-match ODI series. It is a big achievement, from what they were mentally after the Test series defeat, and then, to respond in that fashion made me feel proud.”Despite his abrupt appointment, senior players like MS Dhoni, the India captain, and Suresh Raina said Shastri’s positive mind-set played a crucial role in keeping the dressing room upbeat during the ODI series.Shastri was quite visible during the training sessions as he ran around the ground overseeing the players’ drills and would pass on his observations during private chats. “I had a plenty of one-on-one chats,” he said. “Not sessions. I was not afraid to speak to a guy individually. Ground, bus, bar, dressing room, while eating, we were talking cricket.”Shastri had made it clear that he would oversee everything during the ODI series and everyone would report to him, including Fletcher and Dhoni. That had raised further questions on Fletcher’s future but Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary, had told ESPNcricinfo that nothing had been decided on the matter. Some board officials, though, believed Fletcher’s job was hanging in the balance and Shastri’s report on the ODI series might prove the difference.”Fletcher is the coach,” Shastri said. “He looks over the handling of various things including little, little stuff. He is tremendous. He would have done over a 100 Tests as a coach, which is massive. He is very good. He is technically very sound. He is a solid character. He is respected. He is a fatherly figure. Let the media say what they want. I have told you what I thought of Fletcher. I will go back and speak with the BCCI.”Shastri was also impressed by the trio of Sanjay Bangar, B Arun and R Sridhar, who were brought in as part of the coaching staff at his request. “All three of them have done an excellent job in the short period they have been given. I have to go back and sit with the BCCI to discuss what will happen in the long term.”Shastri, however, was non-committal when asked if he would be open to a similar role in a tournament like the World Cup. “My job was to be with the team for the ODI series. They have won it. I want to let that sink. I will return to India and then think about the future.”

Australia have looked uneasy against the turners, but they will fancy their chances against a spin attack that is missing Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale06-Oct-2014Match factsOctober 7, Sharjah
Start time 1400 local (1000 GMT)Big PicturePakistan’s poor batting in the Twenty20 international on Sunday was not an encouraging sign for them at the start of a month-long tour, but they will hope it was a blip resulting from a new-look T20 side that will not translate into the ODIs. The presence of captain Misbah-ul-Haq should add some stability, although the absence of Mohammad Hafeez due to injury is a blow. Nothing quite the hole left by Saeed Ajmal, though. In eight ODIs against Australia in the UAE, Ajmal has collected 14 wickets at 18.35 but just as importantly, has gone at only 3.42 an over against them. Australia’s batsmen will be far happier against Raza Hasan and Zulfiqar Babar’s spin than the mysteries offered up by Ajmal, but their work against spin is still far from ideal.Meanwhile, Australia will hope that they can carry momentum from the T20 in to the ODIs, albeit with a slightly different line-up. Last time the teams met in the UAE, Australia won 2-1 and they will fancy their chances in this series as well. For George Bailey’s men – captain Michael Clarke will miss the series with a hamstring injury – it is also a chance to press World Cup claims. Clarke, Shane Watson and Mitchell Marsh will all be World Cup players, but none, assuming Marsh is not risked, will play in this series. It means every opportunity for the fringe players is a chance not to be wasted.Form guidePakistan LLWLW
Australia LWLLWZulfiqar Babar picked up 2 for 26 the last time he faced Australia, in the 2014 World T20, but will have a tough task filling in for Saeed Ajmal•WICB MediaIn the spotlightAfter Pakistan’s heavy defeat in the T20, Umar Akmal was mentioned by the coach Waqar Younis as a player who needed to lift. “We speak about his talent. He hasn’t really delivered. We have to really speak to him and maybe try different things with him,” Waqar said. Strong words from a coach. Over the past year, Umar has averaged 31.33 in ODIs but those figures are skewed by an unbeaten 102 against Afghanistan. He’ll be looking for a big series – if he even gets the chance, with wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed also in the squad.Having missed the T20 as he continued his recovery from a rib injury, Mitchell Johnson has been increasing his workloads in the nets, and the captain George Bailey believes he should be fit for the first ODI. “The beauty of Mitch is that he does something very few people in the world do,” Bailey said. “It’s a real strike weapon for us. He can get something out of a wicket that no one else can. In many respects that’s when he’s at his best.”Team newsWithout Hafeez, Pakistan’s top order will need a bit of reworking, while there will also need to be a decision on who keeps wicket. Pakistan are likely to go for a spin-heavy attack after seeing Australia struggle a little against spin in the T20.Pakistan (possible) 1 Ahmed Shahzad, 2 Umar Amin, 3 Sohaib Maqsood, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Fawad Alam, 6 Umar Akmal (wk)/Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Raza Hasan, 10 Zulfiqar Babar, 11 Mohammad Irfan.Johnson is likely to return but the allrounder Mitchell Marsh remains unavailable with a hamstring injury. As well as Johnson, Bailey and Nathan Lyon will be expected to take their places from outside the XI that played in the T20 match. It could mean that either Steven Smith or Phillip Hughes misses out, while either Kane Richardson or Sean Abbott would probably have to make way for Johnson.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 David Warner, 3 Steven Smith/Phillip Hughes, 4 George Bailey (capt), 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Brad Haddin (wk), 7 James Faulkner, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Sean Abbott, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Nathan Lyon.Pitch and conditionsThe Sharjah pitch will probably offer some turn but there should also be plenty of runs available. The two most recent ODIs at the venue provided first-innings totals in the 320s. The forecast for Tuesday is for a sunny day with a top of 34C.Stats and trivia Australia have played only three ODIs in Sharjah since the turn of the century, and have won them all Misbah-ul-Haq will be playing his 150th one-day international Australia enter the series ranked 4th in ODIs and could finish it anywhere from 1st to 4th; Pakistan are 6th and will almost certainly stay there regardless of the series resultQuotes”The team realise some mistakes that we’ve done in the last game but now we have to forget that and focus on the future.”
“In terms of playing it [spin], that’s an ongoing challenge for us. That’s just something we’re continually trying to get better at.”

A round-up of the World Cricket League Division Three matches played on October 26, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2014A century from Gyanendra Malla, followed by four-wicket hauls from seamer Sompal Kami and left-arm spinner Basant Regmi helped Nepal crush Singapore by 190 runs in Selangor.Having been asked to bat, Nepal recovered from losing Subash Khakurel off the second ball of the innings to post a competitive 263 for 9. Their innings was built on Malla’s 125-ball 114, and his two big stands with Naresh Budayair and Sharad Vesawkar. Malla added 73 for the second wicket with Budayair, before his 111-run partnership with Vesawkar took Nepal past 200. Malla was eventually dismissed in the 44th over, having struck 13 fours and a six, but quick contributions down the order from Regmi and Sagar Pun provided Nepal a late surge.Singapore failed to get going in their chase, and were bundled out for 73 in 21.4 overs. Chetan Suryawanshi was the team’s top scorer with 15, and one of only four batsmen to reach double digits. Kami finished with 4 for 41, while Regmi picked up 4 for 6 in 5.4 overs to complete the big win.Fifties from Christian Burgess and Lionel Cann set up Bermuda’s 74-run D/L win against Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. Batting first, Bermuda were pegged back by wickets at regular intervals and fell to 98 for 4 before Burgess (82) and Cann (51) counter-attacked with an 80-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Burgess fell in the 44th over, but Allan Douglas thumped a 14-ball 43, including six sixes in the space of eight deliveries, to lift the team to 257 for 8.Malaysia were well-placed at 104 for 2 in the chase before a rain interruption reduced the game to a 43-over contest, with a revised target of 217. Anwar Arudin and Ahmed Faiz added 77 for the second wicket, but after Arudin’s wicket in the 12th over, the team failed to gather the required acceleration to gun down the target. Faiz top-scored with 87, but Malaysia lost six wickets for just 93 runs, as they could only manage 179 for 7 from their 43 overs. Offspinner Dion Stovell was the pick of Bermuda’s bowlers, and ended with figures of 9-0-29-3.Opener Roger Mukasa’s 71 and offspinner Frank Nsubuga’s four-for proved crucial, as Uganda won a rain-affected clash against USA by 24 runs according to the D/L method.Mukasa struck four fours and two sixes during his knock to provide a solid platform, before other handy contributions from Uganda’s middle order lifted the score to 215 for 8. Timil Patel collected 3 for 42 for USA, while Muhammad Ghous and Danial Ahmed snared two wickets apiece.USA failed to gather any momentum in the chase, as Nsubuga wrecked the team’s top order on his way to taking 4 for 14. Srini Santhanam was USA’s top scorer with 37, but he was run out in the 33rd over, and when rain prematurely ended the game three overs later, USA were found to be 24 short.

Stiaan van Zyl will make his debut at No. 7 in the absence of the injured JP Duminy, but he has suggested his long-term future in the Test side may lie further up the order

Firdose Moonda09-Dec-2014The worst kept secret in South African cricket is that Stiaan van Zyl will bat in JP Duminy’s No.7 spot for South Africa in the first Test against West Indies next week. The best kept secret is that if Duminy’s recovery goes according to plan and he returns for the Boxing Day fixture, van Zyl may not be relegated to the bench.He could take up another position in the line-up – one that would seem far better suited to a man who normally bats at No. 3.”In Zimbabwe, Russell [Domingo, South Africa’s coach] had a chat with me and said the only spot that will maybe open up on performance base would be the opening spot,” van Zyl said ahead of the three-day tour practice match between the South African Invitation XI and West Indies in Benoni. “If there is only a gap in the future at the top f the order, then that’s what I am looking at because I think from three to seven, the squad is quite set, the only position could be in that opening spot.”Van Zyl travelled with the South African Test squad for their winter series in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe as a reserve batsman and understood he was unlikely to get a game unless it was injury-enforced. But it was also where he was told there might be room for him at the top, following Graeme Smith’s retirement and Alviro Petersen’s lean run, which got leaner on the tour.Effectively, van Zyl’s revelation, which included that he move from one-drop to opening the batting for the Cobras this summer in preparation for doing the same for South Africa, has put Petersen on notice that unless his 23-innings century-less streak ends, his time could be up. The other opener, Dean Elgar, who was only installed there three Tests ago when Smith retired, has scored a century and a fifty since being placed there and should get a decent run.Van Zyl already considers himself ready to join Elgar, after he finished last season as the first-class competition’s leading run-scorer. “Last season I did very well and in about 60 percent of the games, I faced the new ball. So, I almost opened anyway,” he said. “Of course, it’s a a different thing if you stand in the field all day and then you’ve got to open because normally I’ve got 20 minutes or half-an-hour feet up but I think my technique and my patience and my batting is equipped for that of an opening batter.”Van Zyk also believes making his Test debut lower down the order could assist in the eventual transition he hopes to make. “Batting at six or seven could also be like opening because you could be facing the new ball. Maybe getting an opportunity there could be better than opening the batting in my first game because that’s a different level of pressure,” he said. “I’ll walk in, maybe 400 for five now so it’s a different scenario. It’s probably better to start your international career in those circumstances.”The bullishness over the position he expects his team to be in comes from the knowledge of both where they are ranked – No. 1 in the world – and who their opposition are. West Indies have just come through a fractious period, marred by a payment dispute and scarred by the absence of Darren Bravo and Chris Gayle from this Test series.Van Zyl is not alone in identifying South Africa as firm favourites, which he believes will be another factor that will work to his advantage. “Starting against West Indies with all the stuff going on and with us being the favourites – it’s a home series and I know Centurion – and if I play, my mom and dad will be here, two of my friends will be here so all that support, at stuff will be in my favour,” he said.He still understands there will be a step up needed, as there always is. “In club cricket you get half a decent bowler and the other bowlers are not so good, in franchise levels, you get three good bowlers and one that you can maybe take on a little bit but now at international level, all the bowlers are great bowlers and they don’t give you much,” van Zyl said, before adding that being part of one of the country’s most successful domestic outfits has prepared him for the quality of international cricket.”Through all my years, I’ve faced a lot of Vernon Philander and Rory Kleinveldt in the nets, day in, day out – its’ also international quality bowlers that you face. And if we get on the park here, I will be facing the same bowlers I will play in the first Test so I will get net practice against the guys I will play against.”Wet weather up country has threatened to wash out the second successive tour match in Benoni by a touring side, after India’s game last summer could not go ahead because of heavy rains. But with or without a sighter, van Zyl hopes he will do well enough to get more than just one Test, whether it’s at No.7 if Duminy remains out, or higher up.”If Russell tells me here’s three Tests for you and I’m going to play all three I’ll be in a different boat,” he said. “If I just play the one Test, I will be over the moon but maybe if I get two Tests, that will be put me in a different state of mind, because I know I’ve got four innings so I don’t need to score in every innings I get.”

After a see-sawing day’s cricket at Krishnagiri Stadium in Wayanad, hosts Kerala and Hyderabad emerged on equal terms, courtesy an unbroken stand of 71 between Nos. 8 and 9 Ibrahim Khaleel and Ashish Reddy

The Report by Nikita Bastian21-Dec-2014
ScorecardFile photo – P Anthaf picked up three wickets•Ranjith PeralamAfter a see-sawing day’s cricket at Krishnagiri Stadium in Wayanad, hosts Kerala and Hyderabad emerged on equal terms, courtesy an unbroken stand of 71 between Nos. 8 and 9 Ibrahim Khaleel and Ashish Reddy. Hyderabad finished on 225 for 7 on a pitch that already has variable bounce and promises a big morning helping of swing in the misty hill-station.Khaleel is playing only his second first-class game since November 2012 – he missed the 2013-14 season altogether – but showed few signs of rustiness. Ashish Reddy, meanwhile, just extended what is a splendid run with the bat: in his previous two innings this season, he scored 95 and 66. The pair did not do anything flashy, patiently playing out more than 25 overs to ensure their side did not crumble. Both will resume next morning with scores in the mid-30s, and they’ll have to show the same resolve if the first session of day two proves to be as challenging as it was today.The sun did not make its first appearance till after 11, meaning the pitch stayed damp and the ball swung around a good deal. Runs were at a premium, as 120 of the first 138 balls were dots. A fine away swinger from Sandeep Warrier accounted for opener Akshath Reddy, before Tanmay Agarwal and Hanuma Vihari got through to the first drinks break.Whether it was the scenic hills in the background or the life-sized elephant cut-out, with Wayanad District Cricket Association printed on it, that traversed the ground at drinks, one can’t tell, but something distracted Agarwal. He jumped out at seamer P Anthaf and tried to swing to cow corner, but couldn’t clear Sachin Baby at short mid-on. Baby, the captain, had done well to position himself there to keep the pressure on the batsmen, and reaped the benefits. Agarwal managed 6 off 60.Hyderabad captain Ravi Teja was proactive too, sending in Pragyan Ojha at No. 4 to protect his middle order till the sun came out and the pitch dried and eased out, but his experiment did not come off. Ojha was out for 1, meaning the captain had to come in before lunch; he wouldn’t have lasted till the interval, either, but Sanju Samson dropped him at gully off debutant left-arm spinner K Monish.By the time play resumed, the sun was blazing down, and Vihari tried to change the pace of the game. He deposited the last two balls of the 38th over over Monish’s head for four and six to trigger a short period of free-flowing runs. Baby seemed to panic a bit too soon, immediately taking Monish off despite Vihari having come dangerously, and encouragingly, down the track to take him on. Baby shuffled his bowlers around quite a bit in that period, and Vihari got to a fifty.It took a trick from the pitch to peg Hyderabad back again: seamer Raiphi Gomez got one to bounce a bit extra – just an over after one from him failed to get up at all – to have an unsure Teja poke to second slip.Just as another stand was developing, Monish, who had varied his pace nicely and brought out the odd arm ball, struck again; a leading edge from Balchander Anirudh was smartly taken by Gomez running back from cover.Vihari was gone in the second over after tea for 76, and Kerala sensed a quick finish to the innings. That is when Khaleel and Ashish Reddy came together. They could have been separated soon after the second new ball was taken, as another one that bounced a bit extra from Anthaf took Khaleel’s outside edge. Wicketkeeper N Surendran and first slip Amit Verma both went for it, got in each other’s way and grassed it. Khaleel, who was batting on 28 at the time, will hope to make them pay on Monday.

A round-up of the third day’s play from Ranji Trophy 2014-15 Group A played on December 16, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2014
ScorecardSudip Chatterjee kisses his bat after reaching 50•PTI Pandey, Kuldeep injured

In a match that could see a close finish, both Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh may be hindered by injuries to key players. Ishwar Pandey, leader of MP’s bowling attack, and Kuldeep Yadav, the UP chinaman who is also a useful batsman lower down the order, may not play any further part in the match owing to the injuries they suffered in the first innings.
Pandey hurt his knee while bowling on the second evening and, as a result, didn’t bowl at all on the third day. According to MP captain Devendra Bundela, Pandey “will not bowl in this match and will be fit again in a week at the most”.
Yadav was hit on the left thumb while batting on the third morning. It is understood that he may be out of action for a couple of weeks. However, UP coach Venkatesh Prasad preferred to focus only on the last day of the match. “We are still awaiting further assessment about Kuldeep but if required, he will definitely bat tomorrow,” Prasad said.

Left-arm spinner Aushik Srinivas’ returns of 5 for 12 in 10 overs helped set up Tamil Nadu’s 277-run rout of Jammu & Kashmir on the third day in Dindgul. Srinivas also had support from left-arm spinner Rahil Shah, who took 3 for 64 to end with a match haul of seven wickets.Tamil Nadu’s declaration at 286 for 5 had set J&K a target of 409 and they started poorly, stumbling to 38 for 2 in the tenth over. Shubham Khajuria and Ian Dev Singh steadied the innings with a 55-run stand for the third wicket but Shah broke the partnership, dismissing Ian Dev for 31. Srinivasan then struck, getting rid of J&K captain Parvez Rasool for a duck, and the side soon lost Khajuria for 60. That dismissal triggered off a slide that saw J&K lose their last six wickets for 15 runs.Tamil Nadu began the third day at 199 for 1 and the overnight pair of Abhinav Mukund and B Aparajith extended their partnership to 174 runs before Abhinav fell with the score at 243. Aparajith was dismissed four overs later and the side lost a few quick wickets before the declaration.
ScorecardUttar Pradesh’s seam bowlers dismissed Madhya Pradesh for 63 in the second innings, setting up an interesting final day at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. Chasing 180, UP need 98 runs more with six wickets in hand.UP started the day on 149 for 6 and despite Piyush Chawla’s solid 42, the rest of the lower order crumbled as MP took the last four wickets in the morning session for just 31 runs.With a lead of 116 runs, MP’s top order had to bat sensibly on a green top. However, Amit Mishra, who took the new ball instead of RP Singh, laid waste to those plans. Praveen Kumar struck in the first and third overs of the innings, while Mishra got wickets off successive deliveries in the second over to leave MP at 1 for 4.Mishra kept on striking regularly and finished with 6 for 26, as MP were bundled out for their joint third-lowest total in first-class cricket. Harpeet Singh’s 37 was the only double-digit score for MP.Chasing 180, opener Tanmay Srivastava was dropped at point by Rameez Khan but Avesh Khan’s triple strikes, including a horrendous lbw decision by umpire Sanjay Hazare to rule Srivastava out when the ball had pitched way outside leg-stump, reduced UP to 82 for 4.
ScorecardKarnataka enforced the follow-on on the third day after their bowlers wrapped up Bengal’s first-innings for 251 in Kolkata. Fifites from Sudip Chatterjee and Shreevats Goswami weren’t enough as Vinay Kumar and S Aravind picked up three wickets each to give Karnataka a first-innings lead of 157 runs.Bengal resumed the day on 62 for 1, but lost Rohan Banerjee as soon as they reached 100. Vinay then trapped Manoj Tiwary lbw for a duck, leaving Bengal at 101 for 3. Chatterjee (57) steered the innings again, in the company of Goswami, with a partnership of 71 runs before Vinay dismissed Chatterjee , too. Karnataka’s pacers hardly allowed any partnerships to flourish by striking with regular wickets. Goswami stretched the score from 187 for 5 to 251 eventually with a patient 68 but Bengal lost their last five wickets for 37 runs and could not avoid the follow-on.The hosts were dented further before stumps when Aravind dismissed Banerjee for 16, and Bengal ended the day on 46 for 1, still trailing by 111 runs with a day left.
ScorecardPacer Shardul Thakur’s first-class best of 6 for 59 limited Railways to 242 but Mumbai were reduced to 24 for 3 at the end of the third day in Delhi, giving Railways a shot at taking away three points from the contest.No play was possible on the second day and Railways resumed their innings at 25 for 2. They were reduced to 54 for 3. Mahesh Rawat and Arindam Ghosh steadied the innings with a 57-run partnership and Rawat chipped in with 68. Railways were struggling at 170 for 6 before Arnab Nandi rallied the lower order through an unbeaten 61.In reply, Anureet Singh and Krishnakant Upadhyay dismissed Mumbai’s openers quickly before Aditya Tare’s run-out added to the side’s trouble. Of the 24 runs on the scoreboard, 17 were scored by Hiken Shah, who will be key to Mumbai’s fortunes on the final day

A round-up of the Ranji Trophy Group B matches played on February 8, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2015
ScorecardManan Sharma extended his wickets tally to eight to add to his 77 in the first innings as Delhi knocked Punjab out in Patiala. Manan registered his second first-class five-wicket haul to rout Punjab for 88, after fifties from Unmukt Chand and Gautam Gambhir had helped Delhi set a fourth-innings target of 179.Punjab were reduced to 9 for 2 early in their chase with left-arm spinner Varun Sood dismissing the openers Jiwanjot Singh and Gitansh Khera. Mandeep Singh, Himanshu Chawla, Yuvraj Singh and Gurkeerat Singh all got starts, but none of them managed a substantial score and Punjab lost wickets at regular intervals. The game ended when Manan dismissed Sandeep Sharma to finish with figures of 5 for 31.Resuming on an overnight 48 for 0, Chand and Gambhir stretched the opening partnership to 110 before Gurkeerat broke the stand by bowling Chand for 56. Thereafter, Harbhajan Singh struck twice in two balls to remove Varun Sood (6) and Milind Kumar (0), and the Delhi innings went into free-fall. Sandeep, Harbhajan and Gurkeerat collected three wickets each as Delhi lost their last six wickets for 68 runs.
ScorecardMaharashtra took further steps towards booking a knockout berth by taking six Vidarbha wickets in the second innings, and limiting their lead to 46 runs in Pune. Placed fourth after wins were registered by Delhi and Gujarat in the other Group B games, a win from Maharashtra, even without a bonus point, will take them to second place.Following on and trailing by 202 runs, Vidarbha started the day on 26 for 0 and had their top order rocked by medium-pacer Domnic Joseph. He first bowled Sachin Katariya for 12, had Ganesh Satish caught behind for a duck two balls later, and came back later to remove a well-set Faiz Fazal for 41 with a return catch. Fazal and S Badrinath had put on 49 for the third wicket and had started to rebuild before Joseph’s third wicket, and Badrinath fell soon at the score of 83.Vidarbha did rebuild later on as Shalabh Shrivastava and Ravi Jangid struck fifties in a reviving stand of 94 runs in only 20 overs. Jangid scored a patient 66 off 152 deliveries while Shrivastava struck a quick 54 off 58 with nine fours. Offspinner Chirag Khurana broke the stand with the wicket of Shrivastava and Jangid was caught off Samad Fallah.Useful lower-order contributions from Urvesh Patel (44*) and Shrikant Wagh (23*) made sure Vidarbha did not collapse again, but with a lead of only 46 runs and four wickets in hand, Maharashtra look to be closing in on the win. Vidarbha are currently above Gujarat but have the same number points – 24 – and will have to end with a better quotient, if they lose, to qualify with Delhi and Maharashtra. In the unlikely case of a draw, Vidarbha and Gujarat will go through along with Delhi.
ScorecardOdisha made steady progress despite early stutters towards their chase of 283 on the third day in Cuttack in a bid to avoid relegation. A win or a draw will keep Odisha safe while Saurashtra need to win to overtake Odisha in the points table and hence save themselves from relegation.Saurashtra were stuttering at 64 for 6 in the second innings, and stretched their lead of 194 to 282 with the help of Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (24), Jaydev Unadkat (18) and an unbeaten 39 from Cheteshwar Pujara, who came out to bat at No. 9. After Jadeja was bowled by Basant Mohanty, Unadkat and Pujara took the score past 100 with a stand of 53 runs. And once Unadkat was run out, Pujara’s patient knock made sure Odisha were chasing a challenging total.In reply, Odisha lost their openers within three overs to Sudeep Tyagi and Siddharth Trivedi. However, Govinda Podder (41*) and Anurag Sarangi (49*) steered them to a comfortable 128 for 2, needing another 155 on the last day.

England “don’t look as if they will get out of the group stage” at this World Cup, according to Paul Collingwood

George Dobell21-Feb-2015England “don’t look as if they will get out of the group stage” at this World Cup, according to Paul Collingwood.Collingwood, the only man to lead England to a global limited-overs trophy – the World T20 in 2010 – described watching the crushing defeat at the hands of New Zealand in Wellington as “horrible” and suggested the coach, Peter Moores, could soon be fearing for his job.And as he helps prepare the Scotland team for Monday’s encounter against England, Collingwood feels “there is no better time” to take on his old team.”I can’t remember seeing such a one-sided game as England’s defeat to New Zealand,” he said. “There have been plenty of occasions where we’ve been pummelled in the past, but I’ve never seen a game like it in a World Cup.”Being an England fan, it was horrible viewing and I really do feel for the players. It just proved the gulf between the two sides and you’re not talking about a major difference in the skill levels, it’s just about approaches and tactics.”England don’t look as if they’ll get out of the group at this stage. That’s the harsh reality.”There is a subtext to Collingwood’s words, the bulk of which were made in a column for ICC Development International.After a brief spell with the England coaching set-up – he spent a couple of months as one of Ashley Giles’ assistants ahead of the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh – Collingwood returned to the Scotland camp as a specialist coach and will be in their dressing room when they take on England in Christchurch on Monday. He had been involved in the coaching team that helped Scotland qualify for the World Cup in the first place.His words could, therefore, be interpreted as an attempt to unsettle the England camp ahead of an important match.But Collingwood actually expressed some sympathy for England’s players – who he continues to rate highly – and their captain, Eoin Morgan. It is the team management – particularly Moores – that leave him underwhelmed.”England has got the most powerful batting line-up we’ve ever had if we pick players like Ravi Bopara in the middle order and Alex Hales up the top,” Collingwood said.”County cricket is producing some very good attacking players like Jason Roy at Surrey. The one-day game is going that way and it’s almost like we don’t want to take risks.”Two years ago England and New Zealand were probably on a par but now the gap is so much because they’ve taken an aggressive approach and built confidence and momentum.”I really do feel for Eoin Morgan. He’s taken over the captaincy right at the last minute and he’s carrying the can for a lot of the work that’s gone on over the past year.”At the moment England seem to playing at about 30 or 40% of their potential. You know there’s so much more in the locker, and confidence-wise they’re not there.”Things will have to change around quickly if he [Peter Moores] doesn’t want the pressure on his shoulders. If you are a batsman who doesn’t put runs on the board, or a bowler who doesn’t take wickets, you get dropped and it’s exactly the same with a coach. If you don’t get results, people will be looking at your job. In the industry we are in, it comes down to results.”All of which, Collingwood believes, gives Scotland an excellent chance to secure the first win in their World Cup history.”With my Scotland hat on, there’s real confidence and belief we can get a win. It’s genuine because the guys are getting closer and closer against international opposition.”We fought all the way to the end against New Zealand and it was only a three-wicket margin and we should have won against the West Indies the week before so we’re getting there.”Of course, it will be an emotionally strange day for me, having been involved in England for so long and playing with a lot of the players in the side, but I’m 100% right behind trying to get Scotland to get this win.”That’s going to be an amazing feeling if we can get that first-ever World Cup win under our belt, there’s no better time than against England. That would mean so much to Scottish cricket.”We’ll cause problems because we know we have the skill levels and the approach and our first win is just around the corner. Hopefully the guys will be singing ‘Flower of Scotland’ in the dressing room come Monday.”

A round-up of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches played on March 26, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2015 South ZoneTirumalasetti Suman’s 93 off 61 balls and Pragyan Ojha’s four-for set up Hyderabad’s 82-run win over Andhra in Kochi.After Hyderabad were put in to bat, Suman, who scored 82 against Tamil Nadu in the last game, and Danny Dereck Prince whipped up 45 runs in 5.1 overs before the latter was bowled by seamer Bandaru Ayyappa, who went on to take two more wickets. Suman then added 88 runs in 8.2 overs for the third wicket with Tanmay Agarwal, who made 30 off 22 balls. By the time Suman was dismissed in the 19th over, he had slammed 11 fours and five sixes.Andhra began poorly in their reply, as M Ravikiran sent back Prasanth Kumar and captain Mohammad Kaif off consecutive deliveries. Only three batsmen reached double figures, as Ojha ran through the middle order.Cameos from Mayank Agarwal (36), Karun Nair (30) and Shreyas Gopal (23*) helped Karnataka complete a four-wicket win over Goa in Kochi.Set 114 to win, Karnataka, despite losing R Samarth and captain Manish Pandey early in the piece, found their voice through Agarwal and Nair who put on 37 runs. After Agarwal, who stuck four fours and two sixes in his 28-ball innings, was caught behind off Robin D’Souza, Nair took his team closer to the target in Gopal’s company.There was a slight wobble after off-spinner Amit Yadav removed Nair and Kranthi Kumar in the space of two balls, but Gopal stayed till the end to ensure Karnataka crossed the line with two overs to spare.Karnataka had earlier inserted Goa, who slumped to 27 for 5. Only Darshan Misal, who scored 41 off 34 balls, contributed substantially. D’Souza, Sher Yadav and Amit Yadav chipped in towards the end to take Goa past 100. Seamer David Mathias, playing his second game, was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets.Tamil Nadu edged Kerala by two wickets with four balls to spare after overcoming a shaky start in Kochi.Chasing 126, Tamil Nadu kept losing wickets at regular intervals, and were in considerable trouble when H Gopinath, who top-scored with 32, was the fifth man to exit with the score on 60. Shahrukh Khan departed soon after, and then Malolan Rangarajan and R Sathish added 42 runs to take them close to their target.Earlier, put into bat, Kerala’s start was in contrast to their opponents’, as sizeable scores from Sanju Samson and Raiphi Vincent Gomez put them on course for a good total. But, from 78 for 2 in 11 overs, they scored only 47 more runs, as Tamil Nadu pulled things back by taking wickets in quick succession. Aswin Crist prised out three scalps, including those of Gomez and captain Sachin Baby. North ZoneManan Vohra’s 55-ball 77 powered Punjab to a 94-run victory over Jammu & Kashmir at the Feroz Shah Kotla.After J&K elected to bowl, Vohra and Jaskaranveer Singh, who hit 29 off 18 balls, gave Punjab a quick start. After Jaskaranveer’s dismissal, Vohra added 56 runs with Mandeep Singh, whose contribution was only 8. Then, towards the end, Gurkeerat Singh notched up a 14-ball 26 to drive Punjab to 176.J&K’s reply never gained any momentum, with only captain Parvez Rasool managing to pass 25. Siddarth Kaul claimed three wickets, as J&K were bowled out for 82 in 18.2 overs.Medium-pacer Deepak Punia took 6 for 14 to rein in Haryana’s chase and leave them 15 runs short of Services’ total of 141. Chasing 142, Haryana stumbled to 40 for 3 in the seventh over, with Punia accounting for all three wickets. Himanshu Rana and Sachin Rana steadied the chase with a 57-run partnership for the fourth wicket but the latter’s wicket allowed Services to forge a comeback with quick wickets. Punia contributed with another double-wicket over, getting rid of Harshal Patel and top-scorer Himanshu Rana and Haryana were eventually limited to 126 for 8. Earlier, Pratik Desai’s 43 and Yashpal Singh’s 41 helped Services tide over the low scores of the top and middle order to post 141 for 6.Pankaj Jaiswal’s four-wicket haul gave Himachal Pradesh their third win on the trot, as they defeated Delhi by 19 runs at the Feroz Shah Kotla.Opting to bat, Himachal Pradesh made 154, Raghav Dhawan (33) and Paras Dogra, who smashed a 19-ball 34, being the major contributors. Left-arm spinner Manan Sharma claimed three wickets.Delhi didn’t get off to the best of starts with openers Unmukt Chand and Gautam Gambhir, who faced 15 balls for six runs, dismissed inside the Powerplay. Milind Kumar , scoring 52 off 39 balls, and Nitin Rana (32 off 20) rebuilt the innings with a 48-run stand. Despite losing Rana in the 11th over, Milind kept his team in the hunt. But Pawan Negi’s dismissal in the 17th over – at which point Delhi needed 32 off 21 deliveries – triggered a terminal slide, as four more wickets fell in the space of three overs to deny the home side victory.Jaiswal was well supported by Rishi Dhawan and Akshay Chauhan, who claimed two wickets apiece, as Himachal extended their unbeaten streak. East ZoneOffspinner Pratik Das’ maiden five-for in only his second Twenty20 game, bundled Assam out for 110 to set up an 82-run win for Odisha. Defending a total of 192 for 4, Odisha were given early wickets by the medium-pace pair of Suryakant Pradhan and Deepak Behera. Das got the key breakthroughs, dismissing top-scorer Pallavkumar Das and Swarupam Purkayastha in the eighth over. He then took three wickets in five balls to leave Assam at 78 for 8 and they lasted only four overs before being bowled out for 110. Odisha’s formidable total was built on brisk innings from Govinda Podder (47 from 29 balls) and Anurag Sarangi (43 off 30). Arabindh Singh smashed five fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 18-ball 34 to boost the innings at the end.Tripura tripped up badly in a chase of 153 – they finished 147 for 3 after 20 overs, five runs short of the target set by Jharkhand in Cuttack.Rakesh Solanki had hammered a 58-ball 76 at the top of the order to ensure Tripura were favourites, until the second ball of the final over when he was run out. The equation then became 10 off four balls. Kaushal Acharjee and Manisankar Murasingh could only manage four.Jharkhand would feel they broke out of jail. Their batting was propped up by brisk thirties from Saurabh Tiwary (35), Ishank Jaggi (30) and Virat Singh (37), and only two of their bowlers managed to pick up wickets – Sarfaraz Ashraf with 1 for 27 and Kaushal Singh with 1 for 22 – but four of them – Rituraj Singh and Shahbaz Nadeem joining the two above – managed an economy rate of 7.5 or under. West ZoneA tight spell from Mehul Patel, during which he picked up the wickets of both Baroda openers, sent Gujarat on their way to a five-wicket win at the MCA Stadium. Coming on as first change, Mehul reduced Baroda to 26 for 2 in the sixth over, and they never really recovered from that position, with Aditya Waghmode’s run-a-ball 43 the only substantial score in their eventual total of 116 for 7.Gujarat lost their openers within the first five overs, with Rishi Arothe dismissing both of them, but Rujul Bhatt’s unbeaten 48-ball 40 ensured there weren’t too many hiccups after that, as they reached their target with an over left to play.Sheldon Jackson’s half-century and useful hands from captain Jaydev Shah (39), Chirag Jani (36* off 18 balls) and Cheteshwar Pujara (28) gave Saurashtra their second straight victory, a 61-run win over Mumbai in Pune.Jackson’s 37-ball 53, comprising five fours and three sixes, was largely instrumental in Saurashtra finishing with 177 after electing to bat. While three of Mumbai’s bowlers were hit for more than 11 runs an over, 15-year-old Sidak Singh, playing his second game, gave away only 15 runs in his four overs.Mumbai’s chase never really took off, and they ended with 116 for 9 in 20 overs, Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 37 being the lone high point. Arpit Vasavada and Dharmendrasingh Jadeja bowled economically to claim two wickets apiece.