India and Hyderabad cricketers VVS Laxman and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha have been named on the newly-constituted governing council of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA)

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2011India and Hyderabad cricketers VVS Laxman and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha have been named on the newly-constituted governing council of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA).”The council will meet once in every month and monitor every aspect of the game. Essentially, it will be suggestive in nature and all its decisions will be conveyed to the Executive Committee of HCA for further action,” HCA President Arshad Ayub said. “If necessary, the council will meet even twice in a month.”The other committee members include BCCI vice-president and former India cricketer Shivlal Yadav, former India left-arm spinner Venkatapathy Raju, HCA secretary MV Sridhar and Ayub.The HCA has been at the centre of controversy in recent times over allegations of misappropriation of funds. A petition referring to contracts related to the construction of the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, and the cost of building the stadium, was filed by C Babu Rao Sagar, secretary of Sagar Cricket Club in Hyderabad, against the HCA in an anti-corruption court in Andhra Pradesh in April. In November last year four senior Ranji players were dropped, and head coach Venkatapathy Raju and batting coach Vivek Jaisimha resigned after Hyderabad’s humiliating defeat against Rajasthan – they were bowled out for 21 – in their opening Ranji Trophy game.Ayub said that a new Ranji coach would be named shortly. “There are no changes in most of the selection panels from the under-16 to Ranji Trophy level with only former Ranji opener A Nandakishore coming in place of NP Singh for the Ranji panel,” Ayub said. “We don’t want to dump the Ranji selection panel or the coaches despite the debacle last season. We look at it as those one-off performances and are very optimistic of a much better showing this time around.”

Sharda Ugra19-Aug-2011The Decision Review System (DRS), comprising the audio tracker and Hot Spot infra-red cameras, will be used for the first time in a bilateral series in India later this year. India had, till recently, strongly opposed the DRS but will now use the system in all 13 home international games before the tour of Australia in keeping with the ICC’s new guidelines that make it mandatory for Tests and ODIs.Warren Brennan, CEO of BBG Sports, which own the Hot Spot camera technology, confirmed that the BCCI had asked for the cameras to be set up in place for India’s home season. Brennan told ESPNcricinfo that four Hot Spot cameras would be in use for the five ODIs against England and three Tests against the West Indies, while two cameras would be in use during the five-match ODI series against the West Indies.During its annual conference in June, the ICC had made the DRS mandatory in Tests and ODIs with a minimum requirement of the audio tracker and infra red cameras. In its announcement, the ICC had, “unanimously recommended universal standards for the usage of technology in decision-making (Decision Review System) in all Test matches and ODIs subject to availability and commercial considerations.” The “availability and commercial considerations” were brought into play as the Hot Spot technology – the only infra-red cameras being used in cricket – is an expensive tool which must be paid for by the home boards and/or broadcasters. It is why the current Zimbabwe v Bangladesh series does not feature the DRS, with the two boards agreeing on not using it.

Hot Spot in South Africa

Brennan also confirmed that Hot Spot will be used for all international cricket in South Africa. ”We’ll be doing all of South Africa’s international cricket since they’ve just come on board, including the Australian series in October and the Sri Lankan series after Christmas,” he was quoted as saying by the . Australia play two Twenty20s, three ODIs and two Tests on the tour of South Africa. Against Sri Lanka, South Africa play three Tests and five ODIs.

The BCCI’s earlier objection to the DRS was based on its lack of belief in the reliability of the ball-tracker technology used in the DRS and the expenses involved in the Hot Spot cameras, which they pegged at US$60,000 per match, while estimates had it down to $5000 per day and a maximum of $25,000 per Test.Previously the mandatory requirements for the DRS were “clear stump mikes”, a Super Slo-Mo camera and ball-tracking technology. The new regulations have, however, left ball-tracker out of the mandatory requirements but incorporated the infra-red cameras.The acceptance and use of Hot Spot cameras will mark another step in the BCCI warming to the DRS. Hot Spot cameras were not used during the ICC World Cup earlier this year over issues of the speed of security clearances.

Former selectors such as Glenn Turner and Mark Greatbatch could still be involved in advising New Zealand’s new national selection manager, Kim Littlejohn, despite having been overlooked for the role themselves

Brydon Coverdale09-Sep-2011Former selectors such as Glenn Turner and Mark Greatbatch could still be involved in advising New Zealand’s new national selection manager, Kim Littlejohn, despite having been overlooked for the role themselves. New Zealand Cricket raised eyebrows on Friday with the appointment of Littlejohn, a former high-performance manager with Bowls Australia with only a small-time cricket background, to the newly-created role.However, NZC’s director of cricket, John Buchanan, wants to revolutionise the way teams are chosen in New Zealand, with Littlejohn set to centrally manage the selection process. Littlejohn and the coach John Wright will form a two-man selection panel, with Wright given the final decision on starting line-ups, while a network of coaches and experts will be put in place to help Littlejohn keep track of player form in domestic competitions.”If we talk about pulling together a New Zealand squad and then a team, basically it will require Kim to consult with all the provincial coaches, and also he will have an additional network of people which he’ll determine,” Buchanan told ESPNcricinfo. “That could be former selectors of the likes of Glenn Turner and Mark Greatbatch.”He may talk to other coaches or indeed umpires that he believes can provide him with current information on players, which will assist him and the current coach John Wright to select a squad for a tour. Once that squad is chosen by those two, it is then in the hands of the head coach to make the final team selections.”It is a bold move away from the traditional selection panel, which generally involved three former players watching domestic cricket and choosing squads themselves. The New Zealand board ratified Buchanan’s plan, and while he said there had been some initial reservations, he was pleased they had taken the chance to embrace change.”It’s only natural [to encounter doubts],” Buchanan said. “The board, like most people in cricket, are so used to how teams have been selected in the past, through selection panels. That’s understandable. But I think this person will demonstrate over time that through better systems and better processes we can provide a far more reliable and consistent selection process, selection feedback and assessment of playing performance.”I have to applaud my board for backing me on this one, because it is a leap of faith for them. It hasn’t been tried before. But I really am pretty confident in how it should work; that’s why I needed to find the right person to ensure that it will work, and I believe that Kim is the man that can do the job for us.”Buchanan said Littlejohn’s experience at lower levels of cricket – he played in Perth’s first-grade competition and professionally in England, as well as coaching with Melbourne University – was adequate for the managerial role. He compared Littlejohn’s appointment to his own surprise nomination as Australia’s head coach in 1999, despite having played only seven first-class games.”I was asked to coach an international cricket team without any international cricket experience. We’re now asking Kim to run a national selection system where he has great experience in high performance and systems and process management, but less experience in cricket. For me, one of the reasons I was chosen for the job was that I brought some objectivity; I brought some planning. That’s what I see in Kim, and that’s exactly what this role will require.”I think [his cricket background] is sufficient. He can have good conversations with coaches or former selectors or former players because of the amount of cricket background that he has. I think that is sufficient for the job. One of his key roles is his ability to harness the knowledge and experience of so many experts over here. I think he’s excellent at doing that.”Littlejohn had been a leading candidate for the role of New Zealand’s team manager, a job that instead went to Mike Sandle. He was also considered by Cricket Australia as a potential replacement for their team manager Steve Bernard, who stepped down earlier this year. Littlejohn is set to begin his new role on September 19.

Mike Gatting, the former England captain, has remembered Graham Dilley, who died on Wednesday at the age of 52, as a cricketer who “always had a smile” when he played the game

Andrew McGlashan05-Oct-2011Mike Gatting, the former England captain, has remembered Graham Dilley, who died on Wednesday at the age of 52, as a cricketer who “always had a smile” when he played the game.Gatting played alongside Dilley in the famous 1981 Ashes Test at Headingley where Dilley played a key role with his second-innings 56 in the crucial stand with Ian Botham. Five years later Gatting was the captain of the 1986-87 side that retained the Ashes in Australia where Dilley was again part of the squad and played four Tests including the victory at Brisbane, taking 5 for 68.”He was a quiet guy with a very dry sense of humour,” Gatting told ESPNcricinfo. “He’d have a pint and a fag at the end of the day but he loved playing cricket. He was very happy sitting down and chatting to people about the game while having a beer and he loved passing on information to the kids. He always had a smile and a chuckle. He had his moments when he got a bit cross, but that was more within himself than anyone else.”Dilley’s role in 1981 is not remembered in the same light as Botham or Bob Willis, but England’s stunning victory after following-on wouldn’t have happened without his free-spirited innings after he’d been told by Botham “to have some fun” with the match seemingly lost”Had he not got his 50-odd with Beefy we wouldn’t have got anywhere near enough runs or even gone past Australia to win the match,” Gatting said. “He also took a very good catch in that match from a top edge at fine leg [to remove Rod Marsh].”He was a wonderful bowler throughout his career,” Gatting added. “In Australia in 1986-87 he was a huge cog in the wheel of winning that series and there were many other times when he was our strike bowler. He ran in very quickly and swung it out. He was a fine, fine bowler.”Gatting also remembered fondly the head-to-head battles the two players experienced at county level in an era where England’s players were available for far more domestic cricket. “We always had a bit of fun,” he said. “There were a few times where he got me early and it was a good competition. He was one of those bowlers that you had to see off because he was capable of picking up four or five wickets quickly.”Following his playing career, Dilley moved into coaching and spent time with the full England set-up and also at Loughborough university where he worked alongside Monty Panesar among other players.”We are devastated to hear the news that Graham has passed away,” Chris Earle, the Loughborough director of sport, said. “He has made his mark on the world of cricket, not just through his success as a player, but also for his contribution as our cricket coach over the last 11 years. Graham will be sadly missed, but his legacy at Loughborough will remain thanks to the excellent cricket environment that he played a significant role in creating.”John Stephenson, the MCC’s head of cricket, said: “He was a world-class bowler who I played against many times and he became a very good friend. As a coach, he made a huge impact as part of the MCC Universities programme; he was central to the progress made at Loughborough over the last decade and he will be much missed by all of us at the club.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the fourth ODI between India and England in Mumbai

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo22-Oct-2011

Match Facts

India v England, October 23, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)MS Dhoni insists this series is not about revenge•AFP

Big Picture

The phrase ‘to play for pride’ is grossly overused, usually to lend a dead rubber some importance. But such has been the nature of the battle between India and England over the past few months that the sentiment may actually have some credence going in to the fourth ODI in Mumbai. MS Dhoni may not like the word “revenge” but surely he wouldn’t mind “redemption” being used to describe India’s performance at the end of the series. The magnitude of their failure in England means a simple series-win may not be enough to grant it. The fans want an emphatic scoreline.There could hardly be a better place for India to underline their recovery from the disastrous summer tour. Though it seems like it has been an eternity since, it was only six-and-a-half months ago that Mumbai witnessed one of India’s biggest wins.But England have had a couple of special moments in ODIs at the Wankhede Stadium too: back in 1987 they beat India to go through to the World Cup final, and in 2002, Andrew Flintoff famously ripped his shirt off and did a victory-lap around the ground after bowling England to a series-levelling five-run win.Since then England have lost 13 of 14 completed one-day internationals in bilateral series in India, and the frustration is beginning to show in the body-language of their players. There have been a few verbal confrontations between the players during this series, and Tim Bresnan was fined for snatching his cap from the umpire in the third ODI. Andy Flower, the England team director, has defended his team’s attitude but will know a win is the only tonic for some hurt egos.In order to achieve that, though, England need to accept certain realities of playing India in India, the first of which is that scores of 300, while winning totals in other countries, are often just par for the course on Indian pitches. After the Mohali ODI, Alastair Cook, the England captain, said their score of 298 was defendable, a statement made mainly to justify Jonathan Trott’s innings of 98 not out from 116 balls, considered too slow by some. Cook would do well to listen to what Kumar Sangakkara, a man who knows all about playing against India in their home conditions, said after the World Cup final: “Anything less than 350 is not safe against India.”Aiming higher does not necessarily mean having to drop Trott, but it does mean that pretty much no-one else can afford to score at less than a run-a-ball. A series strike-rate of 84.31 from someone like Craig Kieswetter, in the side to provide rapid starts, simply won’t cut it.

Form guide

India: WWWLT (completed matches, most recent first)
England: LLLWT

In the spotlight

In the absence of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan is the leader of England’s seam attack, but he’s been their most-expensive bowler in the series so far, going at 6.94 in his 24.2 overs. He’s got the variations to be successful in the subcontinent and may want to look back to the tied game against India during the World Cup to figure out what to do right. In that match, Bresnan was the only bowler who shone on a batsman’s night, and took 5 for 48 in his 10 overs.When Vinay Kumar said, at the start of the series, that he would be guiding the younger bowlers during this series, it seemed ironic, given that Vinay had only played six ODIs himself. After taking five wickets in three games, including a four-wicket haul in Delhi, he has indeed proved to be India’s spearhead. In Mohali, he was found out in the end overs, when Samit Patel read his short balls and slower ones easily. Vinay will want to prove he can be effective at both ends of an innings.

Pitch and conditions

Mumbai sees an unusual heat wave arrive every October, and the England players are going to find it extremely uncomfortable. This is not a welcome, sunny, sunbathe in Hyde Park sort of heat. It’s muggy, stifling and you are likely to perspire a river by the time you’ve walked from the team bus to the ground. “Mumbai is a bit hot and humid, rehydration will be the key; batsman or bowler, everyone will be tested; no more runners in cricket,” MS Dhoni tweeted during India’s practice session on Saturday. The England players may not have the energy to type a sentence that long by the time Sunday is over.The pitch will be a slow turner, according to Sudhir Naik, the Wankhede curator and former India opening batsman. “It will be slower than what was prepared for the World Cup final,” he told the . “It will be a dry wicket.”

Team news

Umesh Yadav injured his hand while fielding in the Mohali ODI and has been replaced in the squad by Abhimanyu Mithun. That means young fast bowler Varun Aaron, who has been waiting for his chance since the England tour, could make an international debut. Dhoni said India may give other players in the squad a chance so long as it doesn’t affect the balance. The uncapped legspinner Rahul Sharma for R Ashwin would be a straight swap.India (probable): 1 Parthiv Patel, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin/Rahul Sharma, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Vinay Kumar, 11 Varun AaronAfter the Mohali ODI, the carried a headline that read ‘Bell makes some noise, but will the door open?’ Even more absurd than that title is the fact that the door has stayed shut on Ian Bell, perhaps England’s most naturally talented stroke-maker. Andy Flower said there would be changes in Mumbai, and surely Bell will find a place. Jonny Bairstow may be the man to make way after Samit Patel did well as a lower-order hitter in Mohali.Graham Onions has joined the England squad as a replacement for the injured Chris Woakes, and either he or the uncapped Stuart Meaker could replace Jade Dernbach, who has gone at 6.54 through the series and looked frustrated on the field. Scott Borthwick, the 21-year-old legspinner who took five wickets in a practice match against a Hyderabad XI, may be given a game.England (probable): 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Stuart Meaker

Stats and trivia

• In Mohali, India scored 300 for the 65th time in ODIs, going past Australia’s 64 to be the side with the most number of totals of 300 or more. This, after India were the last of the major teams to go past 300 in an ODI.
• Virat Kohli has gone past 1000 one-day runs for 2011 in this series. Last year, he managed 995 runs.
• India have won nine of the last 10 matches they have chased in.

Quotes

“I have been a ball boy twice – during an India-Australia match and a game against South Africa. Both times I was near the dressing room and I was always excited to see the Indian players. I always wanted to be in there one day, and now I will do that.”
“As far as talent is concerned, they are very good. But they need to stick together – that’s one thing that’s very important, especially when the team doesn’t get the desired result.”
“Yes, there is a difference between passion and poor conduct and, on almost all occasions, I think our guys are excellent at finding that balance.”

Lawyers representing Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif are considering an appeal against his conviction which would mean he would walk free from prison should such an appeal be successful

Richard Sydenham 04-Nov-2011Lawyers representing Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif are considering an appeal against his conviction which would mean he would walk free from prison should such an appeal be successful.The lawyers for Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir on Thursday announced they would appeal on behalf of their clients, but they were expected to be against their sentences, not convictions.Asif was found guilty of conspiring to cheat and conspiring to accept corrupt payments by a jury on Tuesday and he was sentenced to 12 months in jail by Justice Cooke two days later. Butt was handed a sentence of 30 months, Amir six months and the agent Mazhar Majeed 32 months.But a representative inside Asif’s legal team revealed to ESPNcricinfo that “we are considering an appeal against conviction, not sentence”. They feel that the jury may not have been within their rights to convict Asif on the evidence they had in front of them. This appeal is expected to be lodged in the next seven days.Asif’s team feel that if it is found that the jury were right to hand down a guilty conviction then they would not be appealing against the sentence because if guilty the sentence fits the crime.Asif was adjudged to have bowled one pre-determined no-ball in the Lord’s Test match last year, while Amir admitted to bowling two. Asif denied the charges against him. Butt was accused of orchestrating the spot-fixing and Majeed of arranging the deal after taking £150,000 off an undercover reporter for the News of the World.Alexander Milne QC, who represented Asif at Southwark Crown Court in the 22-day trial, told the jury in his closing speech to “follow the money and if you follow the money you will not find any on Mr Asif”, in referring to how no marked News of the World money was discovered in his hotel room when police raided it. Butt had £2,500 found in his room and £1,500 was found in Amir’s room.Majeed said via his barrister on Wednesday that he paid £65,000 to Asif of £77,500 in total that he paid to the three players. Asif was said to have pocketed more to “keep him loyal” and prevent him from joining rival fixing rackets, inferred to be lying elsewhere within the team.

The race for World Cup places in 2014-15 will resume in February when the qualifying tournament gets back underway with Ireland taking on Kenya

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2011The race for World Cup places in 2014-15 will resume in February when the qualifying tournament gets back underway with Ireland, who currently lead the table with four wins from four, taking on Kenya in Mombasa.Scotland, who are also on eight points alongside Ireland, resume their campaign against UAE in March after ICC confirmed the latest set of Intercontinental one-day and Cup matches.The one-day matches, which form the qualifying tournament for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, run alongside the four-day Intercontinental Cup fixtures. There are four places available alongside the ten Full Members at the next World Cup following the u-turn from ICC after the decision had initially been taken to shrink the event down to ten nations.Currently the third and fourth qualifying spots are held by UAE and Netherlands with Afghanistan also on four points. Afghanistan and Netherlands go head-to-head at the end of March in Sharjah while Namibia and Canada, who are both yet to secure a victory, will aim to kick-start their chances in early April.Ireland are also in top spot in the Intercontinental Cup table, 17 points ahead of UAE, although all the teams have only played two matches so far.The other crucial cricket for Associate and Affiliate members early next year is the World Twenty20 qualifiers where two places are up for grabs at the full tournament in Sri Lanka next September.Full four-day fixtures
Full one-day fixtures

Jacob Oram, the New Zealand allrounder, has said the ruthlessness the Test team showed in beating Zimbabwe in three days in Napier was a sign that New Zealand cricket was developing depth

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2012Jacob Oram, the New Zealand allrounder, has said the ruthlessness the Test team showed in beating Zimbabwe in three days in Napier was a sign that New Zealand cricket was developing depth. Oram has retired from Tests but will join the squad for the three ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals. He said it was important New Zealand continued their dominance of Zimbabwe to show they had progressed.”That Test was not only a sign of the changing conditions Zimbabwe will have to deal with, but also New Zealand cricket as a whole creating a little bit of momentum and depth,” Oram told the . “That obviously augurs well not only for this series but for when South Africa tour in the near future.”The best sides I have played against – Australia five or six years ago, India in their own conditions – once they got their tails up they were near-unstoppable. I’m not saying we’re at that level, but we are taking small steps towards that.”Oram has struggled with injuries through his career and, after missing trips to Bangladesh and India in 2010, was not guaranteed of a place in the 2011 World Cup squad. He made a comeback in New Zealand’s 2010-11 home series against Pakistan and went on to play a key role in their World Cup campaign. Oram, 33, said he has stopped letting injuries frustrate him.”I’ve grown out of caring about my injuries. When I was trying to play all three formats it used to get me down, and did get frustrating. But I’m over it now. I try my hardest to get right for cricket and if something happens I don’t lose sleep over it because I know I’ve done all I can to play.”There will be increased competition for the allrounder’s slot in New Zealand’s limited-overs XI with Canterbury’s Andrew Ellis being added to the ODI squad and Auckland’s Colin de Grandhomme making it to the Twenty20 squad. Oram’s numbers in the domestic Twenty20 and List A competition have not been impressive – he averaged just 6.50 with the bat and took five wickets in six games in the HRV Cup and has taken two wickets in four games in the Ford Trophy. He, however, said he was bowling well.”The ball is coming out well, the figures suggest I’m bowling okay, I felt good during the HRV Cup and I’m fine to go.”The first ODI between New Zealand and Zimbabwe is on February 3 in Dunedin.

A round-up of the third day of the third round of Pentangular Cup matches

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2012Punjab picked up their second win of the competition, inflicting a second straight defeat on Baluchistan at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Baluchistan began the day on 10 for 1, following on after being bowled out for 107. They put up a better effort with the bat the second time round, managing 260 but lost by an innings and 73 runs. Opener Bismillah Khan top-scored with 75 and wicketkeeper Gulraiz Sadaf chipped in with 64 down the order but Punjab kept striking at regular intervals. Seamers Mohammad Khalil and Prince Abbas shared five wickets, helping bowl out their opponents in 81.1 overs and sealing the win inside three days. Punjab now lead the table.Federal Areas tightened their grip over the contest against Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa didn’t take too long to bowl out Federal Areas for 471 on the third day, having to pick up just three wickets. Their performance in the bat in the second innings improved significantly, but Federal Areas were still on top. Opener Yasir Hameed scored a century and added 101 with his partner Israrullah. Adnan Raees contributed 79 at No.5 and wicketkeeper Zulfiqar Jan remained unbeaten on 45 at the close. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa finished the day on 327 for 6, Hammad Azam striking twice late in the day. They were 61 runs ahead with four wickets in hand.

Punjab reached a commanding position at stumps on day two of their contest against Sind, and took control of the Faysal Bank Pentangular Cup final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2012
Scorecard
Punjab reached a commanding position at stumps on day two of their contest against Sind, and took control of the Faysal Bank Pentangular Cup final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Their dominance owed largely to the efforts of Aamer Sajjad, who top-scored, by a distance, with 252. He struck 32 boundaries in an innings that lasted for more than 10 hours and was assisted by a half-century from Usman Salahuddin for the third wicket and by the tail. He added 72 with No.9 Raza Hasan and 42 with No.10 Bilawal Bhatti. Sajjad was the last wicket to fall, his team eventually reaching 496. Danish Kaneria picked up six wickets, but conceded 160 runs and his team was in trouble by the end of the day.Seamer Mohammad Khalil struck thrice and Bhatti nipped out one wicket to reduce Sind to 36 for 4 at the close. The top four were back in the pavilion in just 7.2 overs bowled in the Sind innings, and a monumental challenge awaits on the third day.