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Kyle McCallan, the Ireland allrounder, who retired in December last year after a 13-year career, has been awarded the MBE

Cricinfo staff12-Jun-2010Kyle McCallan, the Ireland allrounder, who retired in December last year after a 13-year career, has been awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire).McCallan played 226 matches, captaining in a record 54 games. He captured 256 wickets with his offspinners, third on the all-time list behind Dermott Montieth and Jimmy Boucher. He’s also scored 3616 runs at 23.33, again No.3 in the list of highest run-getters from his country behind Stephen Warke and Ivan Anderson. McCallan was part of the Ireland team that reached the Super Eights of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies after beating Pakistan in the preliminary stage.”It’s a great honour for me personally, but also my wife and parents. I was privileged to have worn the Irish jersey for over 13 years, and I had some fantastic experiences. I’ve been fortunate to have made some wonderful friends through cricket, and have memories which I’ll cherish. It was quite
simply a golden age for Irish cricket,” McCallan said.Ireland team manager Roy Torrens, who himself was honoured in the
Queen’s Birthday List in 2009, said: “I cannot think of another person who is more deserving of the award. He was a magnificent ambassador for
Irish cricket, both on and off the field. I’m delighted for him and
his family circle – they were wonderful supporters for him
throughout his Irish career, and I know just how proud they must feel.”Cricket Ireland Chairman David Williams added: “The award of the MBE to Kyle McCallan is a well deserved honour for one of our most distinguished cricketers. Kyle McCallan served Irish cricket in an exemplary fashion during his 13 year career, and was a perfect role model to both his team-mates and supporters of cricket in Ireland. It’s a great honour for both him and Irish cricket.”

Jamaica have named Tamar Lambert their captain ahead of Chris Gayle for the Caribbean T20 starting July 22

Cricinfo staff15-Jul-2010Jamaica have named Tamar Lambert their captain ahead of Chris Gayle for the Caribbean T20 starting July 22. Lambert has been part of the Jamaica squad for seven years, averages 30.36 with the bat in 55 first-class matches and has led Jamaica to three consecutive regional four-day titles. Gayle is part of the squad of 15, which also includes internationals such as Marlon Samuels, Wavell Hinds, Nikita Miller, David Bernard and wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh.”Everything has gone very well so far. We are getting everything in place. When we reach Barbados we mean business,” Lambert said. “We have been working really hard. The 14 players have been selected now and our physical trainer has been putting us through our paces.”We have a few games this weekend and we will try to get everything ready so when we get to Barbados we will be in good stead. We are focussed on doing very well and ultimately winning. We will take it step by step, game by game.”Lambert banked on his batsmen to deliver. “It is always good to have Marlon in the team. He has been training very hard to get back into the team and with his experience in the middle-order it will help to strengthen the batting.”We have some very experienced players in the team and everyone will have a part to play if we are to do well in the Caribbean T20. We need a good contribution from everyone. I believed we have a balanced team and a good all-round team. Andre Russell did well with West Indies A team in England and we know what a player like Chris (Gayle) is capable of. He has done it at the international level many times and we will certainly benefit from his experience in our team unit.”The winner of the tournament qualifies for the Champions League to be held in South Africa in September. “It would be extremely nice to win and move on to the Champions League, but first the focus of everyone must be on the Caribbean T20. If we want to make it to South Africa we have to first take care of business in the region,” Lambert said. “When we look at the teams in our zone, Trinidad and Tobago have done well in this version of the game. We will be planning well for all the teams. The focus will be on the Leewards in the first game and after that we will move on to the other opponents as the matches come up.”Soon after the squad was announced, Jamaica’s chairman of selectors, former offspinner, Nehemiah Perry resigned. While there was speculation that the resignation was a result of Perry being upset over the captaincy handed to Lambert over Gayle, Courtney Francis, the Jamaica Cricket Association’s cricket operations officer denied any controversy. “That is my understanding [that there is no controversy],” Francis said. “I went out to the practice session today and had a little chat with the coach (Junior Bennett) and he told me there was no animosity in the camp and I’m comfortable with that.”Jamaica squad: Tamar Lambert (capt), Nikita Miller, Danza Hyatt, Marlon Samuels, Xavier Marshall, Chris Gayle, Brenton Parchment, Wavell Hinds, David Bernard, Odean Brown, Krishmar Santokie, Andrew Richardson, Andre Russell, Carlton Baugh (wk), Junior Bennett (coach)

The Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) is set to introduce a pension scheme for former Ranji Trophy players of the region

Cricinfo staff11-Aug-2010The Nagpur-based Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA), one of the oldest cricket bodies in India, is set to introduce a pension scheme for former Ranji Trophy players of the region.The pension amount would be Rs 5000 per month and the VCA would bear a financial burden of approximately Rs 50 lakh per annum, according to a report in . “The modalities of the scheme will be worked out shortly by an empowered executive committee and the cut-off date has been fixed as March 31, 2004,” VCA president Sudhir Dabir said.”However, a section of players who had initially played for Vidarbha and later moved to Indian Railways will be excluded from the scheme,” VCA’s media manager Rajan Nair, who is also a former Ranji allrounder and currently in the BCCI media committee, said.Similarly, those players who are drawing pension from the BCCI will not be eligible for the VCA pension scheme, as they are already receiving an amount of Rs 10,000 per month.According to Dabir, there were about 268 former Ranji players who had represented Vidarbha in various zonal and national level tournaments but looking at the criteria and the cut off date, only 94 would be eligible for pension.”As per the plan, we are involving all those senior members of the VCA who came forward with the proposal in the process to finalise the modalities of the scheme,” Dabir said, adding that it should be finalised within two months.The proposal to introduce the scheme was approved at the annual general body meeting of VCA held recently.

A two-paced hundred from Moeen Ali and a blistering half-century from Gareth Andrew enabled Worcestershire to register their first Clydesdale Bank 40 victory of the season by 178 runs against Glamorgan at New Road

22-Aug-2010

ScorecardA two-paced hundred from Moeen Ali and a blistering half-century from Gareth Andrew enabled Worcestershire to register their first Clydesdale Bank 40 victory of the season by 178 runs against Glamorgan at New Road. After seven consecutive defeats, Worcestershire finally broke their duck by piling up 296 for 5 and then dismissing the under-strength Welsh team for
118.In a remarkable change of tempo, Moeen made 46 in an opening stand of 105 in 22 overs with Vikram Solanki, but then hammered 75 out of 106 in 11.1 overs with Alexei Kervezee. The left-hander’s second 50 came off only 19 balls and there was more stick to come for Glamorgan when Andrew reached an unbeaten 66 from 22 balls. The former Somerset allrounder hit 24 off the final over, including two sixes and two fours, leaving the unfortunate Chris Ashling with figures of none for 80.Worcestershire’s much-improved performance suggested they benefited from a practice session in the middle on Saturday. Although the exercise was curtailed by rain, the top-order batsmen were challenged to replicate different match situations. When it came to the real thing, Moeen seemed to be out of touch, playing and missing regularly before driving his first boundary off the 22nd ball he faced.However, once one shot had gone off the middle of the bat the runs flowed, although it was Solanki who set the quicker pace with five fours and a six in his 51 until he drove Dean Cosker to Tom Maynard at long off. That was the signal for Moeen to crack on with one of the best innings on the ground this season. His hundred arrived from 94 balls and when he hoisted
another catch to Maynard at long on, he had made 121 from 105 deliveries.The wicket went to Nick James, the former Warwickshire spin bowler’s first in the 40-over league this season, and two balls later he had another when Shakib Al Hasan gave the easiest of return chances. Kervezee then went for 37, caught at long on off Cosker, but Andrew waded into the bowling with six fours and five sixes as Worcestershire added 75 off the last five overs.In contrast Glamorgan lost half their side before they had as many runs on the board. Mark Cosgrove was caught at slip in Matt Mason’s eight-over spell of 3 for 38 and acting captain Mark Wallace was top scorer with 29 before falling to Shakib, who picked up 4 for 32.

Kent have signed England Under-19 batsman Daniel Bell-Drummond from their academy on a three-year deal

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2010Kent have signed England Under-19 batsman Daniel Bell-Drummond from their academy on a three-year deal.Bell-Drummond, 17, played a crucial role in England Under-19s’ six-wicket win to level the series against Sri Lanka Under-19s, anchoring a fourth-innings run chase with a mature 88.Another graduate of Millfield School – that produced Craig Kieswetter, James Hildreth and Rory Hamilton-Brown – Bell-Drummond is looking forward to improving his game with a professional contract at Kent.”I’m grateful to the club for backing me and offering this long-term contact,” he said. “I enjoyed a good 2010 and hope that I will continue to develop as I move forward. I would like to thank the club’s academy director, Phil Relf, and my coach at Millfield School, Mark Davis, for the help and encouragement that they have given me.”Kent coach Paul Farbrace was delighted Bell-Drummond had committed his future to the club.”He is, without doubt, one of the most talented young players in the country,” said Farbrace.”He is yet another great example and role model for young cricketers across the county. We have all been excited by his potential for many years, and he really is a product of the Kent youth development system.”

A day after coming back into the national side, Younis Khan has hinted at a possible return to the Twenty20 format he retired from over a year ago

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2010A day after coming back into the national side, former Pakistan captain Younis Khan has hinted at a possible return to the Twenty20 format he retired from, over a year ago.After his meeting with PCB chairman Ijaz Butt on Wednesday, the board cleared Younis’ selection for Pakistan and he was immediately named in the squad for the limited-overs games against South Africa in the UAE. The chief selector Mohsin Khan couldn’t clarify whether Younis would play in the two Twenty20s, but said that his selection would be left to the tour selection committee. Speaking to reporters from the training camp at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Younis said simply that he was available wherever needed.”I am not that sort of a player who says I should be in Test matches or I should be in one-dayers or in Twenty20s,” Younis said. “If my fitness is up there and Pakistan needs me, whether it’s T20, T10, 50-50 or Tests, I am always available for Pakistan.”Younis led Pakistan to a memorable World Twenty20 triumph in England in 2009, but retired from the format immediately after, saying it was time for younger men to take over. Since then he featured only in the ODI and Test set-up, though he has continued playing Twenty20s in domestic competitions in Pakistan and abroad. Though available, Younis’ selection is not guaranteed; he averages just over 25 from 22 Twenty20 matches with a relatively unspectacular strike-rate of 124.85. But at the time he retired, Younis seemed to be coming to terms with his role in the format, finishing among his side’s top-scorers with 172 runs in the World Twenty20.Younis has been kept out of the national set-up since January, when he played his last ODI in Perth and he hasn’t featured in a Test since July last year; the result of a punishment handed out to him for disciplinary reasons after the tour of Australia and a protracted personality and legal clash with Butt and the board. At the age of 32, however, Younis was keen to move on rather than dwell on what has happened. “I talked to the chairman yesterday and we forgot whatever happened in the past. I didn’t want to end my cricket like that. If I say sorry it’s not a big deal. I can’t fight with the chairman, I can’t fight with the board, as whatever I am is because of them. As far as discipline is concerned I have never been fined and everyone knows me well.”Since Younis hasn’t played at the top level for so long, there will inevitably be questions about his form and the logic of selecting him for limited-overs cricket, where over the course of a ten-year career he hasn’t hit the heights he has in the five-day format. He averages just over 32 in 202 ODIs, though that has risen to nearly 35 in the last three years when he has been one of his side’s most senior players. He scored only 67 runs, though, when recalled for the five-match ODI series against Australia.”I played a county season for Surrey, I played T20s and if a player has eight or nine years experience, he often just needs one click,” Younis said. “If luck favors me and I play one good innings everything will be back on track. When I was recalled for Australia, I went there after playing just one domestic match, at least now I have played county cricket, so I am prepared mentally.”Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, welcomed Younis’ return to the team. “It’s very good that Younis Khan is back. He’s been a great servant for the last 12-14 years, he has served Pakistan as a captain, as a player, as a senior member he has done wonders. He is a seasoned player, he is still fit, fitter than most of them actually, and always gives 100%.”

Sri Lanka’s selectors have dumped fast bowlers Dammika Prasad and Thilan Thushara, and recalled seamer Nuwan Kulasekara, to face West Indies

Sa'adi Thawfeeq20-Nov-2010Sri Lanka’s selectors have dumped fast bowlers Dammika Prasad and Thilan Thushara, recalled seamer Nuwan Kulasekara, and included a new face in Shaminda Eranga in their 16-member squad to face West Indies in the second Test starting at the R Premadasa Stadium on Tuesday. The pair will join Dilhara Fernando and another uncapped Test fast bowler, Suranga Lakmal, who have been retained in the squad.Chairman of selectors Aravinda de Silva said that with their main spearhead Lasith Malinga unavailable for Test matches, Sri Lanka are going through a transitional period of trying to find the right combination of fast bowlers to share the new ball in Test matches.”Most of them don’t want to play in a Test match but want to restrict themselves to playing fifty-over and T20 cricket,” he said. “Some of them cannot play back-to-back Test matches. This is something unheard of in the past. In Malinga’s case we have even promoted him to the top category in the player contracts, but he is not fit enough to play Test cricket.”Kulasekara played the last of his 11 Tests in December 2009 against India at Mumbai. The 24-year-old Eranga is a right-arm medium fast bowler who represents Chilaw Marians in the Premier club championships.Sri Lanka fast bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake said that Eranga is a bright prospect and is capable of bowling around 140kph. He was discovered during the Pace Ace programme conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket in 2006. Eranga, who made his first-class debut in 2006, has taken 34 wickets at a cost of 41 runs apiece.He is unlikely to make it to the final eleven, but 23-year-old Lakmal’s prospects are bright. He has been the leading wicket-taker for Sri Lanka ‘A’ in recent matches, and is a skilful bowler who can swing as well as seam the ball. Although yet to play in a Test. Lakmal has appeared in six ODIs for his country.With the recall of Kulasekara, Sri Lanka will have to decide who will play the second Test after the disappointing performance put on by Prasad and Thushara at Galle. The pair went wicketless, conceding 195 runs between them from 51 overs.Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara was critical of the bowling. “The first six overs were probably okay, although we didn’t make the batsmen play too much. But after that I thought the lines and the lengths we bowled on this track was not good enough for us to put any pressure on them either to get wickets or to cut down on the runs.”It’s two things on these tracks. No. 1 is to try and make the new ball work for us. If it doesn’t work in picking up wickets how we build up pressure by bowling one side of the wicket to one set field. It’s nice to limit them to one side and dry the runs up. Those are the things we got to do a bit better and when that happens with our spinners we can build a lot of pressure.”Sri Lanka squad for second Test: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Tharanga Paranavitana, Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilhara Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Rangana Herath, Thilina Kandamby, Kaushal Silva, Shaminda Eranga

Scotland’s Matthew Parker and Afghanistan’s Samilullah Shenwari have both been reprimanded and warned of their future conduct by the ICC

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2010Scotland’s Matthew Parker and Afghanistan’s Samiullah Shenwari have both been reprimanded and warned of their future conduct for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during Saturday’s Intercontinental Cup final, which Afghanistan won by seven wickets. A reprimand and a warning is the minimum penalty for a Level 1 violation.The two players admitted to the charges and accepted match referee David Jukes’ sanctions, thereby eliminating the need for a disciplinary hearing. Parker was guilty of violating Section 12, Article 2.1.6 of the code, which covers pointing or gesturing towards the pavilion by a bowler or a fielder during an international match.”It is very unfortunate that Mr Parker acted in this way,” Jukes said in a statement, “and whilst I am certain that he was highly elated – following the fall of such an important wicket – he must take responsibility for his actions, and learn that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated in international cricket.”Shenwari admitted to violating Article 2.1.5 of the same section, which deals with excessive appealing. “Excitement and occasion aside, it is unfortunate that Mr Shenwari failed to follow the advice he was offered by both the on-field umpires and his captain,” Jukes said. “He has since been warned and reprimanded, and I sincerely hope that he has learned that this type of behaviour is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.” Shenwari took 3 for 15 in Scotland’s second innings, helping to bowl them out for 82, and set-up Afghanistan’s victory.Parker was reported to the match referee by on-field umpires Kumara Dharmasena and Buddhi Pradhanm, who both also reported Shenwari, along with third umpire Fidel Ja’ary. The match referee’s decision is final and binding.

The ICC has asked the lawyers of the Pakistan players suspended in the spot-fixing case to return evidence that had been given to them last month

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2010The ICC has asked the lawyers of the Pakistan players suspended in the spot-fixing case to return evidence that had been given to them during the appeal hearing held in Dubai last month.ESPNcricinfo understands that the ICC is unhappy with information from the evidence being leaked to television channels in Pakistan; a leading channel recently broadcast text messages allegedly exchanged between Salman Butt, one of the suspended players, and Mazhar Majeed, the players’ agent who is at the centre of the scandal.The request has been made to the legal representatives of Butt and Mohammad Amir, the two players who appealed against their suspensions; Amir is being represented by Shahid Karim, while Butt’s legal team includes Khalid Ranjha and Aftab Gul, the former Test cricketer. Gul had stepped down from the case recently, but is believed to be back. Mohammad Asif, also suspended, withdrew his appeal and the three are currently waiting to appear before an independent anti-corruption tribunal that will look into the actual charges in Doha, Qatar from January 6-11.One of the lawyers confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the ICC had asked for documents to be returned, suggesting that the leaking of information had prompted the move. Replies to the ICC’s request are in the process of being drafted.The development comes after ESPNcricinfo reported last week that there were concerns among observers familiar with the case over the attitude of some of the lawyers and how it might affect the workings of the hearing.In some instances, sources involved in the case claimed, views expressed inside the provisional suspension hearing were different to those expressed subsequently as public statements. One source also told ESPNcricinfo that there was an informal agreement made during the Dubai hearing between lawyers and Beloff to not speak to the media about the case. One of the lawyers involved denied any such agreement.

The third Test between South Africa and India will be played “on a good pitch that will last five days,” Evan Flint, the Newlands groundsman told ESPNcricinfo

Firdose Moonda31-Dec-2010The third Test between South Africa and India will be played “on a good pitch that will last five days,” Evan Flint, the Newlands groundsman, told ESPNcricinfo. With the series level at one-all, the Cape Town Test, beginning on January 2, will be the decider in the three-match series.Newlands traditionally boasts a flat wicket that is batsman-friendly. It has the highest average score, 338.2, for any ground in the country that has hosted more than one Test. That’s close to 24 runs greater than the average score at next-highest run-scoring ground in South Africa, Kingsmead in Durban. Flint said the trend is set to continue. “The pitch won’t change too much from previous years.” It will come as welcome news to the batsmen from both camps, who have had a tough time adjusting to the conditions in the previous two Tests.Both the Centurion and Durban tracks were lively surfaces that favoured the bowlers initially. The track at SuperSport Park flattened as the sun came out and became excellent for batting. The surface at Kingsmead also became better for batting as the match wore on but there was something in it for the bowlers throughout. The conditions in Newlands will be vastly different.”I would love to get the same bounce as grounds like SuperSport Park and the Wanderers,” Flint said. “The type of bounce we get is different; it’s more of a tennis-ball bounce.” Flint said his ground offered more of a traditional South African Test-match wicket that was good for batting, particularly on days two and three and turned in favour of the spinners on days four and five.Flint recognised that South Africa generally “want to get pace and bounce” out of their pitches at home and said he was aware of the home team’s desire to exploit their own conditions. “I would like to create a surface that South Africa can get a good result on, but I’ve just got to do the best I can, and hopefully South Africa can play to their strengths.”There is still a bit of work to do on the surface because the weather has not, up to now, assisted Flint as much as he hoped it would. “It’s still not 100%, which is a little bit disappointing. It’s been very windy and quite cloudy; a bit cooler than usual, but we still need another really good day of sun.” Some showers are forecast for New Year’s Day but sunshine is expected to dominate the Test.Newlands is a fortress for South Africa, where they have won 14 out of 21 Tests since readmission and lost just three, all against Australia. South Africa have beaten India twice in Cape Town, most recently in 2007. On that occasion, the match was also a series decider and South Africa’s victory allowed them to clinch the series 2-1.The one difference between the 2007 match and this one is that three years ago, South Africa went into the game having won the Boxing Day Test after losing the first Test. This season, the opposite has happened. South Africa are under pressure to bounce back after the defeat in Durban, while India are coming off a confidence-boosting win. The stage is set for a grand finale and, fittingly, the first day of the Test match is sold out.