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Half-centuries by Vikram Solanki and Moeen Ali kept Durham waiting for victory in the County Championship clash with Division One strugglers Worcestershire at New Road

20-May-2011ScorecardHalf-centuries by Vikram Solanki and Moeen Ali kept Durham waiting for victory in the County Championship clash with Division One strugglers Worcestershire at New Road. Following on 370 behind after losing their last four first-innings wickets before lunch, the home side showed more application as they took the game into a fourth day by making 271 for 5 at the second attempt.Steve Harmison claimed 4 for 67 in Worcestershire’s initial dismissal for 217, but Durham were careful to use the former England fast bowler sparingly in his first match since breaking an arm in the season’s opening fixture against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.His morning stint was a shade costly as he bowled to attacking field settings and his one success came when Gareth Andrew gave a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Phil Mustard after hitting six fours in a brisk 27. It was left to Ben Stokes and Ruel Braithwaite to clear up lingering resistance from Ben Scott (37) and Damien Wright (27), who clouted 13 boundaries between them and took only seven overs to put on 51.Overnight batsman Adrian Shankar was forced to retire after a mishap during Worcestershire’s early-morning fielding drills. Reaching down to pick up a ball, the former Lancashire Second XI batsman collapsed in pain with a knee injury. He was carried off on a stretcher and he went to hospital for x-rays and will be sent for a scan on Monday.Worcestershire made better progress in their second innings, negotiating three overs from Harmison before lunch and then pressing on when he was rested throughout out the afternoon session. New opening pair James Cameron (20) and Matt Pardoe (38) completed their second half-century stand in four innings and then fell to Ian Blackwell during a prolonged spell by the left-arm spinner.Both were caught close to the wicket but Michael Di Venuto, having held a chance from Cameron, later dropped Solanki at second slip when the former England one-day opener had made only 12. It proved to a costly miss as Solanki found his best form with 10 boundaries in making 58 from 78 balls – his third half-century in the championship since giving up the captaincy last August.The appearance of Harmison after tea secured the breakthrough that Durham needed when he hit the stumps twice in a seven-over spell. His ninth delivery zipped past another flashing drive by Solanki and Alexei Kervezee was also trying to force the pace when he played on.Moeen played equally well with a dozen fours in a stylish 63 but all of the front-line batting had gone when he was caught behind the wicket off Stokes. Any danger of a defeat in three days was averted when Andrew (33 not out) and Scott (30 not out) held up Durham for a second time with an unbroken partnership of 55.

Somerset spinner Arul Suppiah took world-record Twenty20 figures of 6 for 5 in his side’s five-wicket Friends Life t20 victory over Glamorgan at Cardiff

05-Jul-2011 98 by five wickets
ScorecardSomerset spinner Arul Suppiah took world-record Twenty20 figures of 6 for 5 in his side’s five-wicket Friends Life t20 victory over Glamorgan at Cardiff.The home side, who were put into bat by Somerset, had no answer to Suppiah and the other two spinners, Murali Kartik and Max Waller, as they were dismissed for just 98 – their second worst total in the tournament – in just 17.4 overs of an 18-overs-per-side contest which was reduced because of rain.Suppiah’s record figures, which bettered Sohail Tanvir’s 6 for 14 for Rajasthan against Chennai in Jaipur in May 2008, came from 3.4 overs as all 10 Glamorgan wickets fell to the Somerset spinners.In reply Somerset got over the winning line with 21 balls to spare, Kieron Pollard finishing unbeaten on 31 from 20 balls.On the turning pitch, which had been used for two previous t20 matches, the Welsh county’s first two wickets to fall came through attempted reverse sweeps.Captain Alviro Petersen was out for a duck to the fifth ball of the innings to Kartik’s slow left-armers – caught at extra cover – and Gareth Rees was trapped leg before wicket by Waller at the start of the sixth after smashing 34 from 20 balls including two sixes.From 41 for 2 Glamorgan sank to 54 for 3, Mark Cosgrove holing out to long-on off Waller having scored just nine from 15 balls. And with Kartik virtually unplayable on a spin-friendly surface Mark Wallace found himself stumped down the leg-side as Glamorgan stuttered to 72 for four.It did not get any better for the home side as Suppiah entered the attack and they were soon reduced to 83 for 7. Kartik finished with 2 for 15 from his four overs – he went for just 13 singles and a two – while Suppiah accounted for the last four wickets to fall as Glamorgan set Somerset 99 to win.The visitors also struggled on the tricky wicket and found themselves 44 for 4 within eight overs, Marcus Trescothick caught at short fine leg off Dean Cosker for 16. Robert Croft struck twice to remove both Peter Trego (11) and Kartik (11) before Pollard struck Simon Jones for three fours in an over to take the pressure off the Somerset chase.

Shaun Tait, the Australia fast bowler, has signed up with Dolphins, the Durban-based franchise, for the Pro20 competition for the 2011-12 season

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Aug-2011Shaun Tait, the Australia fast bowler, has signed up with Dolphins, the Durban-based franchise, for the Pro20 competition for the 2011-12 season. Tait retired from Tests and ODIs following Australia’s exit in the quarter-final stage of the 2011 World Cup, but represented Rajasthan Royals in the IPL this year, grabbing six wickets in four games.”Having played last year in Durban during the Champions Trophy, I know that I am really looking forward to getting back and bowling at a ground that definitely suits me,” Tait said. “I am genuinely excited to be given this opportunity and am looking forward to playing my part with the Dolphins in seeing them taste success.”The CEO of KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union and Dolphins Cricket, Jesse Chellan, was thrilled that Tait had signed on. “He is a world class, match-winning fast bowler and will add much needed pace to our attack,” he said. “We are serious about ‘crossing the finishing line’ this season and we have no doubt that Shaun will help deliver on this to our fans.”Graham Ford, the Dolphins coach, added: “Our young players have progressed extremely well over the past 12 months and for them to now play alongside the fastest bowler in world cricket will be a wonderful learning opportunity and a massive experience.”The Dolphins topped the table in the league phase of the Pro20 competition last year but were beaten in the semi-final by the Warriors. Their first Pro20 match this season is next February.Besides the IPL and the Dolphins, Tait also has a T20 contract with the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League. He was forced to turn down a deal with Surrey earlier this year due to an elbow injury sustained during the IPL.

Danish Kaneria has been asked by the Sindh High Court to produce a transcript of the Essex police inquiry that cleared him of criminal charges in a spot-fixing case last year

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jul-2011Danish Kaneria’s long battle to gain clearance from the PCB will continue, as he has now been asked by the Sindh High Court to produce a transcript of the Essex police inquiry that cleared him of criminal charges in a spot-fixing case last year. Kaneria had filed a petition in the court against his continued non-clearance by the PCB for selection for the Pakistan team.The court had summoned the Pakistan board to explain Kaneria’s exclusion, and after PCB legal advisor Taffazul Rizvi submitted a reply, the case has been adjourned to August 18, with Kaneria being asked to consult a British lawyer to obtain the transcript of the Essex police inquiry and submit it to the PCB’s integrity committee. “The PCB cannot select Kaneria in the team until and unless he gets clearance from the integrity committee,” Rizvi told . “The court has ordered Kaneria to get another opinion from his British lawyer and submit it before the integrity committee and the matter will then be decided.”Kaneria had been questioned by police in relation to an investigation believed to centre around a Pro40 Essex win against Durham and spot-betting on wides and no-balls during the match, but was not charged.Since that incident, Kaneria has been involved in a long battle with the PCB to clear his name for selection, appearing before its integrity committee, but has failed to convince it despite providing communications from the ICC, Essex police and the county that he was not found guilty of corruption.After the court’s latest order, Kaneria said he would follow the procedure though he was growing impatient. “I will obey the orders, but the delay is frustrating for me as I want to play for my country, which is my right after being cleared by the Essex police,” Kaneria told .Pakistan’s next series is a tour of Zimbabwe, which begins on August 28, leaving Kaneria in a race against time to get clearance before it begins.Kaneria was Pakistan’s first-choice Test spinner for nearly seven years from 2003, and has played 61 Tests, taking 261 wickets. He has been excluded since last October, when he was withdrawn from the squad to face South Africa the day he was set to depart for the tour.

Nottinghamshire batsman Ali Brown has confirmed he will finish his 22-year career at the end of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2011Nottinghamshire batsman Ali Brown has confirmed he will finish his 22-year career at the end of the season having suggested last summer that this would be his final campaign.Brown, who joined Nottinghamshire from Surrey in 2009 and helped them to the Championship title last season, drifted out of the first team earlier in the summer with the county putting their faith in younger players. If Brown doesn’t play another first-class match he’ll finish with 16,898 runs at 42.67 alongside more than 11,000 List A runs, which makes him one of the most successful domestic players not to have earned a Test cap.He did, though, enjoy a brief one-day international career of 16 matches which began in 1996 when England were searching for a hard-hitting opener. Brown scored a century against India, at Old Trafford, in his third game but struggled after that and finished with an average of 22.12 after his last outing in 2001.On the county scene, however, he continued to be a consistent scorer even if the returns did dip somewhat from their highpoint and he contributed 863 runs during Nottinghamshire’s successful 2010 Championship campaign. Brown’s one-day career was highlighted by two double centuries; the first his 203 against Hampshire in the Sunday League in 1997 and then his 268 against Glamorgan, at The Oval, in 2002.”I always believed that the day my age exceeds my batting average it would be time to consider calling time on my career,” Brown said. “I’ve made a lot of lifelong friends at Trent Bridge and The Oval. I’ve had a very enjoyable career at two great clubs and I’ve managed to win Championships at both of them which is something I could only have dreamed of when I started my career.”I’m available for all selection until the end of the season and hopefully I will have an opportunity to turn out for one final match at Trent Bridge.”Mick Newell, the Nottinghamshire director of cricket, said: “I knew that we were signing a quality player when Ali became available and although it was clear that he was in the twilight of his career, he has made a big contribution here and will be remembered for his efforts in helping to win the Championship last season. He has an awful lot to offer to the game and I’m sure his coaching ambitions will benefit from the perspectives he has gained throughout his career.”

Opener Junaid Siddique has been left out of Bangladesh’s squad for the limited-overs leg of the series against West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2011Top-order batsman Junaid Siddique has been left out of Bangladesh’s squad for the limited-overs leg of the home series against West Indies. Experienced batsman Alok Kapali and allrounder Naeem Islam return to the squad after being dropped for the series in Zimbabwe.This will be Mushfiqur Rahim’s first assignment as captain, following the sacking of Shakib Al Hasan earlier this month.The other changes were the axeing of medium-pacer Robiul Islam and the inclusion of Dhaka’s 25-year-old allrounder Elias Sunny, who impressed with his left-arm spin in the recent Bangladesh Board Cup. Fast bowler Shahadat Hossain is among the four players the selectors are considering for the one-day series, which begins on October 13.Kapali had been sidelined for three years before returning for one ODI against Australia after the World Cup. He was dropped again, missing the tour of Zimbabwe, but this recall gives him a chance to add to his 66 one-day caps. Naeem was a regular in the side for a couple of years till the Asia Cup in 2010 after which he was in and out of the team. He last played for Bangladesh in the 2011 World Cup.Shahadat, 25, is one of the country’s most experienced fast bowlers, having played 29 Tests and 46 ODIs, but last represented Bangladesh during the tour of England in 2010. He lost his spot to younger quicks like Shafiul Islam and Rubel Hossain.Junaid, a regular in the side until the end of the 2011 World Cup, lost his place after failing to make a half-century in his previous eight one-day innings.West Indies begin their tour on October 7 with the first of two warm-up matches, followed by one Twenty20, three one-dayers and two Tests.Twenty20 squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), Mahmudullah (vc), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan, Alok Kapali, Naeem Islam, Nasir Hossain, Abdur Razzak, Elias Sunny, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain.Players in consideration for one-day squad: Suhrawadi Shuvo, Shahriar Nafees, Shuvagoto Hom, Shahadat Hossain.

Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has showered generous praise on fast bowler Chris Martin, who became only the fourth New Zealand bowler to take 200 Test wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2011Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has showered generous praise on fast bowler Chris Martin, who became only the fourth New Zealand bowler to take 200 Test wickets when he dismissed Kyle Jarvis in the Bulawayo Test. Vettori, who is the second-highest wicket-taker for New Zealand, said Martin was one of the best to have bowled for New Zealand.”Chris has always impressed me right from day one,” Vettori told . “He’s a fantastic bowler and probably an under-rated bowler as well. To do what he’s done, it’s a real credit to him and I certainly believe he deserves to be regarded as one of NZ’s best-ever Test bowlers.”It had been a long wait for Martin, who spent 10 months stuck on 199 Test wickets, and then more than 23 overs of toil after Test cricket finally came along. “It was an unfortunate circumstance that I had to wait that long, simply because we haven’t played any Test cricket since January,” Martin said. “I’d bowled 23-odd overs before it came so I didn’t know quite how to celebrate, it was more relief than anything, but it’s a moment I’ll remember for quite some time.”Three of the 200-club men studied in the same school, of course at different times. “To be one of four players to achieve that milestone is an honour, ” Martin said. “And there are three from Christchurch Boys’ High (Richard Hadlee and Chris Cairns being the other two), so that’s a nice achievement for the school. Chris Cairns is obviously immediately above me on the list and I think he’s got 218 wickets, so it would be nice to catch him.”Martin’s average of 34.94 might not strike fear, but that it is only marginally worse than Vettori’s 33.61 proves Vettori’s point that Martin might be under-rated. More than the statistics, it is Martin’s reliability and longevity that have shone through despite starting his career late – less than month shy of his 26th birthday. “Shane Bond was around for a while, but for the most part Chris has carried the pace attack by himself over a long period of time,” Vettori said. “He’s always been reliable.”What Martin has managed is rare for New Zealand fast bowlers – a near injury-free career. He has outlasted more incisive and flashier fast bowlers. New Zealand want him to stay around to share the experience he has garnered over his 11-year-old career with the younger quicks. Martin turns 37 in December, and there is likely to be debate around his place in the side, especially after match returns of 3 for 159 in the Test against Zimbabwe. Vettori, though, thinks there is more to come.”He’s still got a lot left in him and I think he wants to play for a wee while longer, which would be great for us to have him working with the likes of Tim Southee and Doug Bracewell coming through,” Vettori said. “It’s encouraging to have the three of them around for the Australian series [next month]. It’s the first time I’ve seen Bracewell bowl and I’ve been quite impressed by him.”

India have made no changes to their 15-man squad for the second Test against West Indies which starts on November 14

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2011India have made no changes to their 15-man squad for the second Test against West Indies which starts on November 14 in Kolkata. That means offspinner Harbhajan Singh remains on the sidelines while legspinner Rahul Sharma, who was a controversial selection for the first Test squad, retains his place.In the first Test in Delhi, India won by the ultimately comfortable margin of five wickets but were sternly tested by West Indies, who took a 95-run first-innings lead. Despite the early scare, India had several things to be satisfied about. In their first match after injury lay-off key batsmen Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar made crucial contributions to the victory. Three other players returning from injury – Gautam Gambhir, Ishant Sharma and Yuvraj Singh – also showed they had no fitness trouble during the Test.The inexperienced bowling attack also fared well, with left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha taking six wickets in the first innings and Man of the Match R Ashwin grabbing six in the second on his debut. Their impressive performance ensured that Harbhajan, a certain pick in Indian squads for much of the past decade, will have to wait for a chance to make his comeback.Medium-pacer Praveen Kumar, who was one of India’s few bright spots during the abysmal tour of England, also continued to be ignored by the selectors. It was not a fitness problem that kept Praveen out – he played for Uttar Pradesh in their Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra, which began on Thursday – but India probably wanted to experiment with the quicker options of Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron before the big tour of Australia later this year.Squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Ishant Sharma, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Sharma, Varun Aaron

Tamim Iqbal has said offspinner Saeed Ajmal will be the biggest threat to Bangladesh when Pakistan tour there in November-December 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2011Tamim Iqbal, the Bangladesh batsman, has said the offspinner Saeed Ajmal will be the biggest threat to Bangladesh when Pakistan tour there in November-December 2011-12. Ajmal is the joint-leading wicket-taker in Tests this year, with 41 from 6 matches at an average of 23.41, and also features in the top ten wicket-takers in ODIs this year. Tamim recognised Ajmal was in form and said the Bangladesh batsmen would have to watch his variations carefully.”I’ve only faced him [Ajmal] for one delivery and that was in county cricket when I was playing for Nottinghamshire and he was representing Worcestershire,” he told . “I scored a single and was happy to be at the other end. He’s a very good bowler and is in great form at the moment. It is going to be a real challenge to face the Pakistan bowlers in the upcoming series, especially Saeed Ajmal. He’s a very experienced bowler who has a lot of varieties and he will certainly be someone that my colleagues and I will have to watch carefully.”Pakistan will play one Twenty20 international, three ODIs and two Tests in Bangladesh between November 29 and December 21. Bangladesh are coming off a disappointing summer, having lost one-day series against Australia, Zimbabwe and West Indies, and Tests against Zimbabwe and West Indies. Pakistan have enjoyed an impressive run, having had successful tours of the West Indies and Zimbabwe and winning both the Test and ODI series against Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates.”It’s going to be a very tough and challenging series for us because Pakistan are playing some very good cricket and are in great form. Their batsmen and bowlers are in top form and it promises to be a difficult series for us.”After a tremendous 2010, in which he scored two swashbuckling Test centuries in England, Tamim has had a mediocre run in 2011, but showed a change in approach in the home Tests against West Indies, playing uncharacteristically patient knocks of 52 off 141 balls in Chittagong and 83 off 158 balls in Mirpur. Tamim said he was constantly learning and believed he was a better batsman now than he was when he first burst onto the scene.”I’m still learning a lot of things and developing my batting. I really hope that I have a long career ahead of me and I’m sure I am a much better batsman than I was when I first came into international cricket. I believe I still have a lot of things to learn and I am confident that I will get better with more exposure in international cricket against the best opposition.”After Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe, the board removed Tamim from the post of vice-captain and also replaced Shakib Al Hasan with Mushfiqur Rahim as captain, with indiscipline cited as the reason for the decision. Tamim said he was happy to play under Mushfiqur but would have to wait before he judged him as a captain.”I’ve played under Mushfiqur in the Under-19s and I know him very well. He knows what he needs to do as skipper and what he needs to bring to the team. He’s started well and is doing a good job, but it’s too early to say as he has just skippered in the one series. Let’s see how it goes and I wish him all the very best for a successful stint as captain.”Bangladesh have struggled to build on the form they showed last year, when they won home ODI series against New Zealand and Zimbabwe easily. Tamim said the team had to play more international cricket to improve. He said he expected Bangladesh to be competitive in international cricket in a few years.”We need to play more international cricket. If you are playing cricket at the highest level you are going to improve. The Bangladesh Cricket Board is working very hard and I’m sure that we will continue to produce good cricketers. I think in a few years we can become more competitive as the youngsters that are being developed forge their way into the international arena.”

Johan Botha, the South Africa allrounder, has been signed by Adelaide Strikers as their last international player for the Big Bash League

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2011Johan Botha, the South Africa allrounder, has been signed by Adelaide Strikers as their last international player for the Big Bash League. The Strikers have also added James Muirhead, an 18-year old legspinner from Victoria, to their spin roster, which includes 39-year old legspinner Bryce McGain.”We already have two T20 superstars with Kieron Pollard and Alfonso Thomas on the list. Now we have Johan signed up as a very exciting addition to the roster,” Chuck Berry, the Strikers coach, said “Boats is a very aggressive and successful T20 player and will add a lot of voice and animation to the group, and that is a very big part of T20 cricket – that’s what the fans want to see.”Berry also said Muirhead, who has played for Australia Under-19, was an exciting prospect. “If he is anything like the other blond leggie from St Kilda, we will be very pleased. But I like what I see with him – he’s travelled with the Under-19 national team, and continued to impress with the Futures League, so I’m sure he can perform for the Strikers.”Bryce McGain is also a valuable pick-up for us. He’s a very calm head and in the rush of the T20 format that will come in very handy with some of the younger players we have going around this year. He’s got a good T20 strike-rate, which is right up there with some other spin bowlers.”