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Phil Jaques, the former Australia batsman, has had his registration as a non-overseas player for Yorkshire cleared by the ECB

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2012Phil Jaques, the former Australia batsman, has had his registration as a non-overseas player for Yorkshire cleared by the ECB but was unable to resume his county career when rain washed out the opening day against Essex at Headingley.Jaques, who has scored 2477 first-class at 61.92 runs for Yorkshire in his previous spells with the county, had a meeting on Monday where the paperwork was completed and now cannot play cricket in Australia except at club level.”It is quite a while now since I played for Yorkshire and I am really excited to get back into it,” he said. “There are a lot of good players at the club and I hope that I can help to get Yorkshire back into the Division One of the Championship where they belong.”Jaques was looking forward to working with former Australia team-mate Jason Gillespie, Yorkshire’s new coach, to turn the team’s fortunes around. “He was a senior player when I first got into Australia’s side and we will be in similar roles now,” he said.While Jaques’ situation was good news for Yorkshire, events across the Atlantic in the Caribbean have created difficulties in completing the signing of Mitchell Starc, Australia’s left-arm fast bowler, who is lined up to bolster their bowling resources.It had been hoped that Starc would be able to make his debut on May 9 against Gloucestershire but injuries to James Pattinson and Peter Siddle during the current Test series against West Indies mean that he could now be recalled for the third Test in Dominica next week. That, in turn, could impact when Cricket Australia are willing to release him for a county stint, although he has had little cricket recently.Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of cricket, hopes to have a clearer picture when the Test series is complete.

You can’t rule out Chennai Super Kings. They are no strangers to wriggling out of a difficult situation, and they did it again when it seemed their qualification prospects were in peril in Jaipur

The Report by Siddhartha Talya10-May-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ben Hilfenhaus’ economical spell gave Chennai Super Kings the early advantage•AFP

You can’t rule out Chennai Super Kings. They are no strangers to wriggling out of a difficult situation, and they did it again in Jaipur, when it seemed their playoff prospects were in peril. The teams, at a crucial juncture in the season, could ill-afford a slip-up, and Super Kings huffed and puffed in a low-scoring chase but made it thanks to a late onslaught from Albie Morkel and S Anirudha. They completely altered the flow of a game heading for a close finish and, with 13 points in the bag, Super Kings broke into the top four.Royals were favourites when they had Super Kings at 84 for 6 in the 17th over, the wicket of Ravindra Jadeja, caught in the deep, prompting a roar of relief from a usually calm Rahul Dravid. But Super Kings were always in the game with Morkel around, and Anirudha matched him shot for shot as the Royals bowlers buckled under pressure. That surge, which produced 43 off 13 balls, left the home crowd deflated and Royals stunned by the sudden transformation it wrought.As has often been the case this IPL, the seamers erred at the death, with attempts at bowling yorkers failing miserably to end up as length deliveries. With 41 needed off 21, Morkel launched Pankaj Singh just over the long-off boundary, a mistimed hit carrying all the way. A top-edged four and a single later, the equation was down to 30 required off three overs.Not even the experienced Shane Watson could maintain Royals’ hold. A length ball was smashed over long-on, and Anirudha, having a go himself instead of giving his senior partner the strike, pulled over the midwicket fence before steering a full toss past point for a boundary. Shaun Tait was brought back with 12 needed off 12, but another pitched up delivery was swung towards cow corner. Tait then bowled Anirudha with a perfect yorker, only to find out he’d overstepped, just marginally, before doling out five wides down the leg side to hasten the finish.Morkel and Anirudha undid an impressive performance from the Royals bowlers for the bulk of the innings; they had given the hosts hope of defending their lowest score this season. Suresh Raina had looked threatening, finding boundaries with effortless ease but his attempt to go over extra cover failed against Pankaj. Michael Hussey and Dwayne Bravo tried to consolidate but the ball was not coming on well enough on a slow track, and the Royals bowlers, especially Siddharth Trivedi, kept the pressure on with their accuracy. Bravo holed out, Hussey was run out, MS Dhoni slashed one to point and Jadeja soon followed. That was until Morkel and Anirudha got together.Royals’ below-par score owed partly to the frustration of having their innings interrupted three times by rain, but largely to some disciplined bowling by the Super Kings seamers, especially Ben Hilfenhaus, that kept the batsmen in check. Hilfenhaus beat the bat often, getting the ball to nip away past the outside edge, and maintained a tight line in the channel outside off. His victims were Dravid and Watson, both caught while trying to accelerate during a troubling spell; Watson was brilliantly taken by R Ashwin, diving forward at third man.While Hilfenhaus finished with figures of 2 for 8 in four overs, Yo Mahesh backed him up with the wickets of Ajinkya Rahane and Stuart Binny, out after a brief counterattack. Though Brad Hodge targeted the spinners for a couple of boundaries, and an erratic Bravo was taken for runs, the good work done at the start of the game by Super Kings’ bowlers was to serve their middle order well in the end.

Luke Wells withstood gale-force winds and all Surrey had to offer on his way to 127 that set up a sizeable first-innings lead for Sussex at Horsham

Sahil Dutta at Horsham08-Jun-2012
ScorecardLuke Wells withstood gale-force winds and all Surrey had to offer on his way to 127 that set up a sizeable first-innings lead for Sussex at Horsham. In the six overs of play possible on day two the home side lost four wickets, yet Surrey needed the best part of 93 more overs to prise out the final four as Sussex wrestled firm control of the match.The leaden skies and swirling winds made for grim conditions that were at odds with the cheery efficiency of Sussex’s innings. It was led by Wells, whose 277-ball knock spanned three days, and supported stoutly by the tail. For a batting side that has struggled of late, 87 for 6 to 351 all out was some comeback.The recovery pivoted on Wells’ second hundred of the season. That first also came against Surrey, but in defeat in the opening match of the summer. Since then his form had tailed off badly and he was dropped when Luke Wright returned. His recall for this game came in place of Murray Goodwin. It is a sizeable role to fill but with his fifth first-class century, he looked perfectly capable of doing so.Wells is everything Surrey’s youthful batsmen are not and, while he may not stir the Twenty20 scouts any time soon, he gives off an air of permanence Surrey’s top-order could never establish. He is still willowy but his height and calm demeanour will draw regular comparisons to Alastair Cook.Despite his lengthy stay at the crease it is difficult to recall him even playing and missing. There was one chance, though, when on 88 he edged Murali Kartik to slip but Gareth Batty couldn’t hold on and that was as close as Surrey got until he was finally dismissed.Meaker, so destructive amid showers on the second day, strained and was pacey throughout but could not find a regular length between pitch-up yorkers and pound-down short balls. Jade Dernbach was off-colour and irritable, yelling at himself on more than one occasion. Rory Hamilton-Brown looked the part – chest puffed out as always – but could not find a combination to nullify Wells and the Sussex tail. The pitch was no help, lacking both pace and the seam movement of the opening two days. But he did not try himself or Zander de Bruyn at any stage.After Wells fell, edging an expansive drive behind to give Kartik a fourth wicket, Surrey’s thoughts would have turned to batting. Instead they were subjected to an unexpected, but wholly delightful, 80-run stand for the last wicket. The sun even came out and together, James Anyon and Monty Panesar finally brought some festival lightness to the game. Anyon slugged the ball sweetly for his highest first-class score – an unbeaten 64 – while Panesar attracted cheers from everyone, including Kartik after one six down the ground in boundary-filled 31. It was not the first time this season Surrey have burst through the opposition’s top order only to be thwarted by the tail.A tough, all-day spell in the field was hardly the preparation Mark Ramprakash needed in his attempt to regain form. He struggled manfully – making 3 from 24 balls – but at least remained intact. Jason Roy was fluent, as he often is, but on 35 received a lifter from Steve Magoffin that he could only fend off to point.Panesar, sufficiently buoyed by his fun with bat in hand, threatened with turn, bounce and fielders around the bat during his three overs before the close. With the forecast promising for Saturday, Sussex have every chance of forcing a result.

South Africa will start their two-day tour match against Somerset on Monday with two members of the squad carrying injuries

Firdose Moonda08-Jul-2012South Africa will start their two-day tour match against Somerset on Monday with two members of the squad carrying injuries. Opening batsman Alviro Petersen has an inflamed toe on his left foot, an injury sustained while jogging, and fast bowler Marchant de Lange has not fully recovered from lower-back spasms picked up in the Twenty20 tri-series in Zimbabwe last month. However, both could feature in the match at a later stage as the teams will be allowed to field more than 11 players.”We don’t want to risk either Alviro or Marchant but we will see how they feel as the match goes on,” Mohammed Moosajee, South Africa’s team manager, told ESPNcricinfo. Both are expected to play in the second fixture of the tour against Kent, which starts on Friday.With only five days of match time before the first Test, Gary Kirsten, South Africa’s head coach, was unperturbed by the lack of cricket before his team starts their quest to dethrone England as world No. 1. Kirsten said the hours of practice required before a series is not an “exact science”, adding that South Africa’s players believe the time they will get “should be sufficient”, if the weather holds. The team were forced to have an indoor session at Taunton after arriving on Saturday but trained outside in the sun – which the locals claimed showed itself for the first time in two weeks – on Sunday.”We know we have got to get our intensity up as soon as we can,” Kirsten said. “We’ve got a really experienced team and a good side that has been here and had success before. It’s about who can win those big moments; that’s how the series will be decided. Where we might lose out on match intensity, we will pick up on mental freshness.”Kirsten’s emphasis on training the mind was emphasised by the squad’s recent camp in Switzerland, conducted under the guidance of adventurer Mike Horn. Graeme Smith described it as a mentally challenging experience and said that for some players it had been the “toughest three days of their careers”. The squad engaged in activities such as climbing mountains and Kirsten said it helped them learn about each other.”It’s something we wanted to work hard on as a team. We can put ourselves through some challenges, not necessarily cricket challenges, just to test us a little bit as a unit,” he said. “Everyone pulled together and the stronger guys pulled the weaker guys through. We feel that when you pull a team together and tighten a unit and go through those challenges it will help in those pressure moments where it counts.”Thinking outside the box is what Kirsten hopes will give South Africa that “10% tweak that will take us to the top of the pile”. Having already got India there in Tests, Kirsten is hoping to replicate his success with his home country and feels that the preparation they have done will stand them in good stead to achieve that. “I am very happy with where we are at the moment,” Kirsten said. “The guys aren’t letting up, they want more.”

Tim Bresnan will be available for Yorkshire on Twenty20 Finals Day after the England management reversed their decision to make him unavailable

David Hopps at Cardiff24-Aug-2012Tim Bresnan will be available for Yorkshire on Twenty20 Finals Day in Cardiff on Saturday after the England management reversed their decision to make him unavailable because of concerns about his workload.Bresnan had an inactive day watching the rain that wrecked the opening ODI between England and South Africa at the Swalec Stadium and, with Finals Day scheduled for the same ground, a few miles to the hotel and back again were not about to risk travel exhaustion.Bresnan’s involvement if the FLt20 Finals Day stretches into Sunday’s reserve day – a forecast of sunshine and showers makes that a possible outcome – would not be determined by England until Saturday evening, as they insist that preparation for the next ODI, at West End on Tuesday, takes precedence.Fatigue should not be an issue for Bresnan. He missed the final Test at Lords and has bowled only 387 overs since the start of April. He would also only bowl a maximum of eight overs for Yorkshire on Finals Day.England’s initial refusal to make Bresnan available stunned Yorkshire, who had assumed that availability would not be an issue on a day that has become the highlight of the domestic season and that the availability of all international players would be treated equally.If Bresnan is withdrawn at any stage over the weekend on England’s orders, Rich Pyrah would be likely to deputise. All other England players involved in the ODI series would be automatically available if Finals Day extended into Sunday.The Cardiff washout, meanwhile, has led to Ravi Bopara being made available for Essex’s CB40 match against Middlesex on Monday. Bopara has been in need of match practice after time off for personal reasons and made a guest appearance for Gloucestershire against the South Africans on Wednesday.For the likes of Craig Kieswetter, considering an England ODI one minute, a domestic finals day the next, adjustment has to come almost instantly. While IPL surfs along on permanent hype, England’s T20 Finals Day is crammed into an England-dominated programme.”It’s probably not ideal,” Kieswetter said. “I think a lot of the counties would prefer to see Twenty20 in a block and then move on with the rest of the season. It is no hidden fact that our schedule is pretty hectic. It would probably the most ideal set-up to have it as a block and get it done and finished with.”Somerset have lost in the last three finals, but their achievement in getting to the semi-finals of the Champions League last year has helped to dispel the feeling of perennial bridesmaids.”I think it has gotten past the stage of being an issue for us,” Kieswetter said. “It is just another finals day. Hopefully we can get over that finals hurdle.”

Kent’s seven-wicket defeat with four sessions to spare against Essex has virtually put paid to their faltering push for Championship promotion

Mark Pennell at Canterbury10-Aug-2012
ScorecardMaurice Chambers took four wickets as Kent succumbed for 101 in their second innings•Getty Images

The tea-time scones, fresh cream and strawberries were still served to the punters cramming the marquees at Kent’s Canterbury Week clash with Essex on Friday; the only pity was that, by then, the game was long finished and the majority of players had left the ground.Kent’s seven-wicket defeat with four sessions to spare against their previously struggling neighbours not only further savaged the dwindling Kentish coffers, but has virtually put paid to their faltering push for Championship promotion.Resuming on their parlous overnight score of 9 for 3, Kent proceeded to lose their last seven wickets for 92 runs in the space of 29 overs – and this against a three-man Essex attack already without their wily seamer David Masters, who was hampered by a side strain.Harbhajan Singh proved a handful in taking three, as did Graham Napier, who showed all his experience to also bag three and lend support to Essex’s spearhead, Maurice Chambers, who posted his first four-wicket return in two years.Kent captain Rob Key conceded afterwards that his decision to take first use of the pitch in this 161st Canterbury Week game was not a simple one.”There’s always something in the wickets here and, I have to say, I don’t mind losing the toss because it’s never an easy decision to bat,” Key said. “But one thing’s for sure, when we do bat, regardless of whether it’s second or first, we have to do it a fair bit better than we did in this match. The wicket was never bad enough for us to be bowled out for 101.”We need someone to come through the tricky periods and make a big score, but no one’s holding their hands up right now.””Had we set them 150-plus to win, then it might have been a different result, who knows, but setting them only 55 we had no chance. The margins in difference are quite small, but they might have made a big impression on the outcome if only we had batted that little bit more sensibly.”Needing 55 for their second win of the Division Two campaign – their first came against Gloucestershire in the opening round – Essex lost both openers within 15 overs. Azhar Mahmood, on his first Championship appearance of the season, snared Jaik Mickleburgh lbw as he wafted to leg, then removed Tom Westley’s off pole after an errant decision to leave alone.Owais Shah inexplicably holed out to long leg to gift Charlie Shreck a wicket and make it 35 for 3 but Ryan ten Doeschate marched in to finish it in no-nonsense style with a six into the Frank Woolley stand and a manufactured single to square leg.A delighted Essex captain, James Foster, said afterwards: “I thought this was a terrific result for us, and we needed it. We showed a lot of character and it was a big performance because it gives us a sniff of promotion and something to play for in the run in.”

Leicestershire have signed Robbie Williams from Middlesex on a one-year deal

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Sep-2012Leicestershire have signed Robbie Williams from Middlesex on a one-year deal. Williams, a right-arm seamer, had been on trial with the club in the closing weeks of the 2012 season and appeared in the Second XI Championship final defeat by Kent.Williams, a product of Durham MCCU, is relatively inexperienced for a 25-year-old. He has played only nine first-class matches and none since 2009, taking 23 first-class wickets at 32.82, with a best of 5 for 70. On Middlesex debut, Williams opened the bowling with England seamer Steven Finn and picked up 5 for 115 against Essex.Leicestershire chief executive, Mike Siddall, said: “Robbie impressed whilst playing for the second XI. He adds to the selection opportunities within the seam bowlers and we hope that he will make his mark at Grace Road.”

North Zone’s powerful batting and incisive bowling in the first innings helped them win their quarterfinal against West Zone on the basis of a first-innings lead

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2012
Scorecard

North Zone’s powerful batting and incisive bowling in the first innings helped them win their quarterfinal against West Zone on the basis of a first-innings lead.The final day began with North Zone on 30 for 0 in their second innings and they extended that to 208 for 7 before declaring. All of the top six batsmen got starts but no one made more than Shikhar Dhawan’s 50. They slumped from 111 for 1 and were reduced to 208 for 7. West Zone offspinner Kalmesh Makvana took 5 for 80 to finish the match with figures of 10 for 220.Chasing an academic target of 529, West Zone batted 29 overs to reach 69 for 2 before the match was called off as a draw.

Rain robbed New Zealand’s best chance of sneaking in a win in a one-sided series, after they restricted Sri Lanka to 123 for 8 in Hambantota

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran12-Nov-201228.3 overs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRain had the final say in the Sri Lanka-New Zealand ODI series•AFP

Rain robbed New Zealand’s best chance of sneaking in a win in a one-sided series, after they restricted Sri Lanka to 123 for 8 in Hambantota. The match began under sunny skies, but little over two hours after the start, rain forced the players off the field and they remained indoors till half past eight, when another downpour brought a soggy end to an ill-timed series. All six matches on tour were affected by rain, with Sri Lanka taking the one-dayers 3-0.While Sri Lanka were the superior side in the context of the series, New Zealand would have every reason to feel let down by the weather in this game. For a change they found a way to express themselves and it came via their seamers to put the hosts under early pressure. After opting to bowl first in conditions expected to suit the fast bowlers, Tim Southee, Adam Milne and Trent Boult utilised the swing to their advantage to nip out early wickets. Upul Tharanga played the lone hand as the rest failed to stick around to build partnerships.It all started with Southee’s peach which swung away late and hit the off stump before Dinesh Chandimal could get his bat down. That was enough to convince the bowlers that the fuller length was the order of the day. The wicketkeeper and the slips had to stay alert, as BJ Watling found out when he failed to hang on to a touch chance off Lahiru Thirimanne when he was on 6. Southee struck again when he removed Thirimanne by inducing an outside edge, giving Watling a chance to make amends.It was the short delivery that claimed Angelo Mathews, who miscued a pull off Boult to Southee at fine leg. Even the experienced Kumar Sangakkara found the going tough against the most inexperienced of the seam trio, Milne, and edged to the keeper. It was a dismissal that would have made the bowling coach Shane Bond proud. The ball landed on middle and nipped away, squaring up the left-hander. Milne posed questions to the other left-hand batsman Tharanga as well, and looked like he deserved more than one wicket as the halfway stage.Mahela Jayawardene and Tharanga showed some initiative in a stand of 47, stepping out to the spin of Nathan McCullum when the seamers were getting a breather. McCullum, though, had the last laugh when he took aim at the bowler’s end and knocked the stumps with Jayawardene short of his ground. A wild slash by Jeevan Mendis off Andrew Ellis saw him walk back for a fourth-ball duck, leaving Sri Lanka at 92 for 6 in the 24th over.Tharanga reached his fifty, and when he edged Southee to Watling on 60, the rain arrived. New Zealand didn’t have the pleasure of bowling Sri Lanka out but they went back with some positives, having run Sri Lanka close in at least two matches. With two Tests to play, at different venues, one would feel the teams haven’t seen the last of the rain, with the monsoon in full swing.

Pakistan’s first cricket tour to India in five years faced a media blackout after international news agencies, including AFP, suspended coverage.

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-2012International news agencies have suspended coverage of Pakistan’s cricket tour of India – the first in five years – over the BCCI’s decision to bar some of their photo counterparts.The blackout continued a stand-off with the BCCI that first began during England’s Test series in India in November and which shows no signs of being resolved.News outlets said they would not be filing any text or pictures after the BCCI again refused to accredit the international picture agencies Getty Images and Action Images as well as two Indian agencies. Some news organisations, including ESPNcricinfo, that have depended on these agencies have used the pictures made available on the BCCI website.The BCCI’s stance is based upon the belief that it has a monopolistic right to all commercial revenue from photographic coverage of the games it stages, immediate news coverage apart. Support is coming from behind the scenes from key commercial figures in Cricket Australia.”It is regrettable that the politically-charged Pakistan tour will be affected by the BCCI’s failure to recognise the long-standing importance of photographic news agencies in the flow of sport and news images every day,” said the News Media Coalition, which represents a group of media organisations.International agencies who are members of the coalition, such as AFP, Thomson Reuters and the Associated Press, will halt text and photo coverage.English newspapers and some websites refused to use images supplied by the BCCI during the England tour and instead used file pictures, cartoons or hurried paintings by the cricket artist Jocelyn Galsworthy.Great moments in England cricket history, such as the 19 wickets shared by the spinners Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar in the Mumbai Test, have only scant photographic record. Getty Images’ Gareth Copley and freelance photographers such as Phil Brown and Graham Morris have a worldwide reputation for the quality of their cricket photos and all were either barred or supported the dispute during the England tour.”As a direct result of the BCCI stance, great sporting moments from the cricket tours to India are going unrecorded and therefore lost forever. England’s games were the hidden series and the Pakistan tour is heading for the same fate,” said Andrew Moger, executive director of the NMC.The World Association of Newspapers is backing the suspension, saying the BCCI was “denying the ability of editors to select from the best of photography for the benefit of readers”.A BCCI spokesman declined to comment but did refer reporters to a statement issued for the England tour, which said there was “no intention to censor or limit bona fide news reporting” and emphasised that news agencies had been accredited.The photo agencies however had been refused as the BCCI deemed “their primary businesses involved the commercial sale and licensing of images rather than the supply of images to news publications for bona fide editorial purposes”.The BCCI has refused to draw up specific agreements with these photo agencies so that they can cover the tour under new terms and conditions.Pakistan’s tour begins with a Twenty20 fixture in Bangalore on Tuesday.