If all goes well for Usman Khawaja, he could be on a plane to England in July to face the country of his birth in a Test series. What’s more he could fly the plane himself

Brydon Coverdale24-May-2010If all goes well for Usman Khawaja, he could be on a plane to England in July to face the country of his birth in a Test series. What’s more he could the plane himself. At 23, Khawaja is a qualified pilot, a batsman of rare class and he could soon be the first Pakistani-born player to represent Australia.But first things first: Khawaja has been chosen for Australia A’s series against Sri Lanka A in Brisbane in June. The selection was no surprise, for Khawaja posted three Sheffield Shield centuries and averaged 63.45 for New South Wales last summer. But the timing, as with so many of Khawaja’s strokes, has been exquisite.The Australian selectors have delayed naming the squad for the two Tests against Pakistan until they see how the A-team performs and thanks to Phillip Hughes’ busted shoulder there is a backup batting spot available. Khawaja’s stiffest competition is likely to come from the Australia A captain George Bailey and the No. 3 Michael Klinger.Khawaja’s youth means he is more of a long-term prospect than Klinger, who will be 30 by the first Test, and his first-class average of a touch under 50 dwarfs Bailey’s mark of 38. He’s not thinking of Test tours just yet, although the baggy green has been Khawaja’s primary objective ever since he was introduced to the sport by his cricket-mad father.”There is a Test spot but there’s still a few games in the A tournament and I’ve just got to keep scoring runs,” Khawaja told Cricinfo. “Aussie A is really exciting. I used to watch the Aussie A guys on TV back in the day when they were in the one-day series. I’m pretty excited, representing Australia in anything is really, really exciting. It’s another step up – I can’t wait.”When the family moved from Islamabad to Sydney, Khawaja was three. His father Tariq continued to support Pakistan but gradually switched allegiances to Australia as his son moved through the ranks. There have been semi-regular trips back to Pakistan, but Khawaja never considered playing for the country of his birth.”Even if they [Pakistan] came calling, there was never a chance of me going there anyway,” he said. “Ever since I was young I’ve been loyal to Australia and all I’ve ever wanted to do is represent Australia and get that baggy green. The thought never even crossed my mind. Australia feels like home, so I don’t think it would be right.”He reckons his dad was “pretty stoked” to hear of the A-team call-up, although Khawaja has shown such poise since making his state debut two years ago that it was only a matter of time. His cricketing success means that his second passion, aviation, has been put aside and he hasn’t taken to the cockpit for 18 months.”Piloting was the thing I was doing, pretty much as a fall back plan for cricket,” he said. “I love cricket to death, and all I ever wanted to do was play cricket. When you’re about 18 and nothing’s certain, I didn’t have any contract and had just made the NSW U-19s team, it was all uncertain. I just felt like I had to do a degree, get it under my belt and I didn’t have to worry about that part of my life.”There’s nothing like a great landing – it’s a great feeling. But I don’t think there’s anything in the world like scoring a hundred or winning a big title for your team. Cricket has always taken that mantle.”Perhaps having not piloted for a while he’d better not fly that plane to London after all. But if he performs against Sri Lanka A, he might just earn a passenger’s ticket.

Talks of the viability of the ODI game can take backseat for a while – when India faces Pakistan, it takes the format out of the equation

The Preview by Nitin Sundar18-Jun-2010

Match Facts

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)
There won’t be any pleasantries once the game begins•AFP

The Big Picture

It is time for match-up again. Debates on the viability of the ODI game can take a backseat for a day – when India faces Pakistan, the format is irrelevant. The reasonably long interval since their last game – in the Champions Trophy in September last year – has only increased the pre-match buzz. It is safe to say millions around the world will be tuning in.Coming as it does at the midway point of the tournament, the game will decide the course of the Asia Cup. Pakistan impressed during their opening game against Sri Lanka, but could not finish it off. Another defeat could end their campaign early.Their problem lies in the batting department – specifically the out-of-depth youngsters at the top. Shahzaib Hasan and Umar Amin were bullied by sharp seam bowling, and ended up consuming too many balls before getting out. Shahid Afridi will have to re-think the batting line-up, and possibly promote Kamran Akmal against the new ball. The Pakistan captain must be gutted that one of his best knocks failed to secure victory. Can he inspire himself to another classic? Can Shoaib Akhtar overcome his sub-par fitness and produce ten high-intensity overs?India’s opening game panned out in a manner diametrically opposite to Pakistan’s – they were average, yet won easily thanks to Bangladesh’s largesse. India’s bowlers looked alarmingly flat, the fielding was lethargic and the top order struggled to deal with rustiness and the unusual floodlights. The new-ball bowlers handed the Bangladesh opening pair the initiative on a platter, and sides better than Bangladesh would have never let go of it.Having been rescued by a freakish spell of offspin from Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni will want more from his frontline bowlers this time around. He will not read much into the failures of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma during the chase – the young top order’s real test will be against Shoaib and co., who will try to bounce them out.A win here will put India in final, while a defeat could leave them facing a tricky perform-or-perish game against the hosts. Given their recent travails in similar situations against Sri Lanka – in the World Twenty20 and in the Zimbabwe tri-series – they will be anxious to avoid a pressure game against their bugbears.

Form guide (most recent first)

India WLLWL

Pakistan LLLLL

Watch out for…

Virender Sehwag has savaged Pakistan at the Test level, but his record against them in ODIs is not very good. After enjoying himself with the ball against Bangladesh, he looked set to explode during the chase when he edged Mashrafe Mortaza behind. He will be eager to make amends against Pakistan’s seamers, who will be happy to spar with him. Expect fireworks when Shoaib Akhtar steams in at Sehwag.
Shoaib Malik must be anxious to stand up and be counted, given the fractious relationship he has endured with team management. He loves facing the Indian attack, and will look to fill his boots again. He was under-bowled in the first game, but in the absence of a specialist spinner in the XI, he may be given a longer stint in the middle overs.

Team news

Ashish Nehra struggled with his fitness in the first game and is a doubtful starter against Pakistan. A final decision will be taken on Saturday morning, and if required, Ashok Dinda should replace him.
India (likely) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautham Gambhir, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra/Ashok DindaFollowing the struggles of Shahzaib and Amin at the top, Imran Farhat can expect a recall. Shoaib’s fitness issues will also be a talking point in the Pakistan dressing room.Pakistan (likely) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Shahzaib Hasan/Imran Farhat, 3 Umar Amin, 4 Shahid Afridi (capt), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Kamran Akmal(wk), 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Mohammad Asif, 11 Mohammad Aamer

Stats and trivia

• India and Pakistan have faced off eight times in the Asia Cup, with India winning three and losing four. One of the games did not have a result.
• Shoaib Malik has plundered 1685 runs against India – the only side against whom he has crossed 1000 – scoring four of his seven ODI hundreds against them, including two in the teams’ last two games.
• Salman Butt also enjoys facing India, with five of his eight tons coming against the neighbours. He is 82 runs away from the 1000-run mark against them
  

  Quotes

  “It will be good to play Shoaib.. He can be effective as he can bowl quick. We’ll see how our boys cope against him.”

Leicestershire crashed to their seventh home defeat after losing by eight runs to Warwickshire in the final Friends Provident t20 North Group match at Grace Road

Cricinfo staff18-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Leicestershire crashed to their seventh home defeat after losing by eight runs to Warwickshire in the final Friends Provident t20 North Group match at Grace Road. Having restricted the Bears to 137 for 7 with a fine bowling and fielding performance, the Foxes were unable to match that with their batting, failing to chase down what looked a comfortable victory target and closing on 129 for 6.Former Foxes player Darren Maddy top scored for the Bears with a blistering 41 off 29 balls, hitting three sixes, while Chris Woakes and Keith Barker each claimed two wickets to help clinch victory.On a slow pitch, the home side were never up with the rate needed after the early loss of opener Jacques Du Toit, who was trapped lbw by Woakes. Brad Hodge tried in vain to keep the chase afloat, cracking four boundaries in a belligerent 22 before becoming Woakes’ second victim with the total on 31.The innings then crawled along with no boundary for 10 overs. That finally arrived when James Taylor produced a reverse sweep for a four off the bowling of Stef Piolet. Taylor went on to top score with 29, but by then it was all too little too late for the Foxes, with the asking rate having climbed to more than 11 an over.Barker ended their slim hopes of reaching the target by taking two wickets in an over, dismissing first Taylor and then clean bowling Wayne White. Despite Claude Henderson hitting Barker for the only six of the innings, the Foxes were still left needing 17 off the last over, and Neil Carter bowled well enough to ensure that did not happen.In the field the Foxes fared much better, with Hodge taking the early wicket of England batsman Jonathan Trott who was trapped lbw, and the big-hitting Carter bowled by Matthew Hoggard for 21.But Barker, Jim Troughton and then Maddy kept the scoreboard moving, with the latter in impressive form. After a slow start, he found his timing despite the slowness of the surface, smashing superb sixes off Henderson, James Benning and Nadeem Malik.A brisk innings from Woakes took the Bears to 137 and although the total hardly seemed enough, it proved more than adequate as the Foxes once again disappointed in front of their home fans.The only point gained they gained at home in the competition was because of a no-result for a washed-out game against Durham. Away from home the Foxes won six out of eight. As it turned out, even had they won for the first time at Grace Road, it would not have been enough, with Northamptonshire clinching a quarter-final place with a victory at Durham.

Jimmy Adams, the highest run-maker in the Friends Provident t20, took his aggregate to 551 as Hampshire coasted to a six-wicket victory over Middlesex at Uxbridge which boosts their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals

11-Jul-2010

ScorecardJimmy Adams, the highest run-maker in the Friends Provident t20, took his aggregate to 551 as Hampshire coasted to a six-wicket victory over Middlesex at Uxbridge which boosts their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.Owais Shah hit 80 off only 52 balls with five sixes and five fours for Middlesex, but he got scant support and Hampshire were always on course for a target of 165 once some sloppy fielding had helped Adams and Michael Carberry put on 89 in 10 overs for the first wicket.Carberry, badly dropped at backward square leg off Gareth Berg when he had made 13, scored 41 off 28 balls with two sixes and four fours before he cut Shah’s first ball to backward point and Adams, put down at short third man off Neil Dexter on 45, had made 64 off 44 balls with 10 fours when he hoisted Berg to long on.Hampshire stumbled briefly when James Vince sliced Berg to short extra cover and Abdul Razzaq ran himself out but Sean Ervine and Neil McKenzie saw them home with nine balls to spare.The conditions were made for high scoring with the pitch flat and the parched outfield fast and bumpy but Middlesex made a sluggish start after wining the toss. Dexter was caught at extra cover off Chris Wood in the second over, David Warner struggled to 18 off 17 balls before pushing Dan Christian to mid-off and Dawid Malan soon pulled Ervine to deep square leg.Scott Newman then fell leg before to Dominic Cork, Berg lifted Danny Briggs to mid-wicket and Tyron Henderson drove an Ervine full toss to long off to leave Middlesex struggling at 105 for six in the 16th over before their innings gathered any real momentum.Shah cut loose in the next over, reaching his 50 off 39 balls with two sixes and five fours and going on to make another 30 off only 13 balls, with three more sixes before holing out to long off trying to hit Wood for another six off the last ball of the innings.Ben Scott, who has returned to Middlesex after a loan spell with Worcestershire, joined him in a partnership of 59 – a record for Middlesex’s seventh wicket in this competition – in only four overs but a total of 164 for 7 was never going to be enough.

Peter Ingram, the New Zealand batsman, has said learning from watching Virender Sehwag bat has helped transform his career

Siddarth Ravindran in Dambulla22-Aug-2010Peter Ingram, the New Zealand batsman, has said learning from watching Virender Sehwag bat has helped transform his career. Ingram is sometimes criticised for a lack of footwork, but he said the reduced foot movement – a hallmark of Sehwag’s batting – has helped trigger the run of form which has lifted him to the New Zealand team.Sehwag and Ingram are both international openers, born just five days apart. While Sehwag has been among the most feared batsmen in the world for years Ingram is still taking his first tentative steps in international cricket, working full-time as a teacher as he is yet to win a central contract.After several poor seasons on the domestic scene – he has been around since 2001-02 – he was in commanding form over the past three years. “I played for five years for Central Districts, and averaged 17, used to try and move my feet heaps and block too much,” Ingram said. “And then I just kept watching Virender Sehwag, if he can not move his feet and score runs then so can I. Since then I have averaged about 65 and scored heaps and heaps of runs.”This is the first tournament he is playing involving Sehwag, and he is looking ahead to learning from the Indian batsman. “I have tried to have a chat with Sehwag. We are trying to organise one. I want to have a talk with him and see how he works and trains.”The stand-and-deliver method isn’t something that Ingram recommends for everyone, though. “Not everyone is the same, obviously it suits me and suits him,” he said. “I am not as good as he is, but one day hopefully I will be.”Sehwag has made a habit out of reaching his centuries with a six; most recently he nearly did it off the controversial Suraj Randiv no-ball last week, but it isn’t something Ingram has attempted. “No, I haven’t even thought about it.” He does dream of a Sehwagian feat. “I want to play Test cricket and smash a hundred of 80 balls.”

Moutaineers beat Mashonaland Eagles by 14 runs

John Ward17-Sep-2010
Scorecard
A rollicking partnership of 102 for the second wicket between Prince Masvaure and Peter Moor set up Mashonaland Eagles to chase down 220 but their dismissals, in quick succession, saw the Eagles fade away to a 14-run defeat in an exciting three-day finish. The Mountaineers were deserving victors, although the win was spoilt by some excessive appealing.Play began as it did on the first two days – with quick wickets followed by a recovery. Mountaineers began the day on 86 for four and Timycen Maruma, the overnight batsman, was the first to fall, caught in the slips for 27. Nightwatchman Silent Mujaji and Benjamin Katsande soon followed and, at 95 for seven, Mountaineers were looking in trouble. But then Prosper Utseya and Shingirai Masakadza, the heroes of the Faithwear Metbank final in 2009, stepped in. Utseya in particular counter-attacked well, and their partnership of 49 was worth far more on this particular pitch than it would under normal circumstances.After Masakadza fell for 18, Natsai Mushangwe gave Utseya good support, hitting the bad ball well on his way to an unbeaten 16. Utseya was finally dismissed for 38 off 53 balls, an invaluable innings given the difficulties of batting fourth on this pitch. The innings closed on the stroke of lunch for 178, leaving Eagles to get 220 for victory. All six wickets that fell in the morning were caught either by the wicketkeeper or at slips. Innocent Chinyoka, who picked up four of those six wickets, bowled a brisk medium pace, just outside the off stump, cutting the ball predominantly away from the right-hander, and the pitch and poor batting technique did the rest.There was much tension on the field when Eagles began their innings, which increased when the umpire disagreed with the Mountaineers who believed they had Ishmael Senzere caught at slip off the very first ball. It wasn’t to be a costly lapse: Senzere was yet to score when he was well run-out by Shingirai Masakadza as he called for a quick single to midwicket, only to be sent back by his partner. Then came the key wicket of Forste Mutizwa, who was superbly caught by the same fielder at extra cover for four. The Eagles were 17 for two, despite the Mountaineers’ bowling a bit too short.Then came what could have been the game’s turning point. Moor was yet to get off the mark when he got a leading edge and lobbed a high but simple return catch to Tendai Chatara, who lost sight of the ball and failed to get a hand to it. After this reprieve, Moor and Masvaure decided to go for their strokes, perhaps a wise gamble on an untrustworthy pitch. They took some risks, and Moor raced ahead with a straight-driven six and some powerful hooks as the bowlers tried to bounce him. It was heady stuff and quite unpredictable but, all things considered, he did the right job for his team. Despite some technical flaws his 53 off only 35 balls, with four sixes and four fours, showed the raw material was of high quality. He and Masvaure shared the game’s only century stand, the latter soon following Moor back to the pavilion with 51 off 73 balls to his credit.With Eagles on 119 for four, the match was again in the balance. Cephas Zhuwao did what he does best and swung two sixes in an over from Prosper Utseya over the midwicket boundary to take his team to 135 for four at tea. However, Zhuwawo did not last long after the break, skying a catch to deep midwicket for 18. After this, the batsmen fell back on the defensive, probably a mistake considering the earlier successes had come through attack. Regis Chakabva made 21 without his usual sparkle, and the bowlers worked their way through the lower order. The ninth wicket fell at 199 and the last pair managed only six runs, before Mbofana was adjudged lbw to Shingi Masakadza. Masakadza and Maruma took three wickets each. It was a closely-fought match with an exciting finish, but that still did not justify what was a poor cricket pitch.

ESPNcricinfo profiles the Super League teams in the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2010

Karnataka

Can the Karnataka fast-bowling trio of S Aravind, R Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun reprise the magic of the last season?•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Last season, Karnataka erased memories of several years of mediocrity and reclaimed their status as one of the domestic powerhouses by marching to the final, only to lose to Mumbai by six runs in a classic. It was a revamped team: they had a new coach, Sanath Kumar, and several established players like wicketkeeper Thilak Naidu, fast bowler NC Aiyappa and middle-order batsman C Raghu were dropped, replaced by fresh faces like 24-year-old wicketkeeper CM Gautam and fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun.The question this year is whether Karnataka will suffer from sophomore syndrome. “Last year nobody knew what sort of players we have,” Sanath said. “Nobody knew our strengths or weakness, this year everybody is aware of our team, they will come prepared. Our challenge will be to continue last year’s good work.”Much of Karnataka’s success last season was built on the devastating new-ball combination of Mithun and R Vinay Kumar – easily the most successful bowlers of the season, taking the top two spots in the wickets chart, nabbing 93 between them. Both have since broken into the Indian team, and though they are not established members of the national side, Karnataka could miss their services for some parts of the coming season due to international commitments.The bowling had looked ineffective in the absence of the lead pair. Former India left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi, now 40, continues to plug away but had only 16 wickets in eight matches last season. Left-arm seamer S Aravind fared better with 27 wickets, but doesn’t have the pace to be the bowling spearhead. Sanath remains confident the team can cope with loss of Vinay and Mithun. “We have S Aravind, and there’s Adithya Sagar who has been doing extremely well in the Under-22s – in fact, his performances in U-22 is even better than Mithun’s. There are also uncapped players like BN Bharat and Azghar Pasha.”The packed international calendar also means Karnataka will miss the experience and guidance of Rahul Dravid, who made 476 runs at 119 in four matches last season. That means more responsibility for Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey.What they did last seasonIt was a season to remember for Karnataka though the title eluded them. They dominated the league phase, winning four matches – no other team in the country won more than two games – and comfortably took the first-innings lead in the remaining two matches. The quarter-finals against Punjab, who possessed the potent new-ball pair of Love Ablish and Manpreet Gony, was their first stiff test and they cleared it thanks to big scores from Uthappa and Pandey. In the semi-finals Dravid’s flawless double-century shut out Uttar Pradesh. The final against Mumbai was one of the most gripping matches in the tournament’s history, both sides showing heart and skill on a juicy track in Mysore, before Karnataka went down by six runs on a tension-filled last day.Men to watchPandey proved he was not just a flashy Twenty20 player last season, making a tournament-high 882 runs, including four centuries. One of those was a memorable, counterattacking 144 against Mumbai as Karnataka nearly pulled off the stiffest chase ever in a Ranji final. With plenty of competition for places in the national side, he will need to keep scoring the runs to attract the selectors’ attention.

Bengal

Will the Bengal captaincy help Manoj Tiwary rediscover his hunger for runs?•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Bengal finished sixth in their group last year with just a solitary win. The last season had started with much drama over the issue of Laxmi Ratan Shukla being retained as captain. Jagmohan Dalmiya had to intervene to bring about a consensus. Every player was handed a sheet containing contact numbers of the team-mates to improve “communication” among themselves. That was last year.This season has started more peacefully. They have a new captain in Manoj Tiwary and a new coach in WV Raman who reckons this is a revival season for Bengal after the reverses in the last few years; Bengal have started the season on a right note by doing well in the recently-concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. “My players did well in the Mushtaq Ali tournament but a four-day game is a different thing altogether,” Raman said. “So, adaptability will be the key.” It’s learnt that Raman has introduced yoga sessions among the players.What they did last seasonThey started with a seven-wicket victory over Maharasthra but the wins dried up after that. They bowled out Baroda for 307 but collapsed from 218 for 4 to 293 all out. Baroda amassed 458 in the second innings to shut Bengal out of the game. Their bowling fell away and they yielded big first-innings leads against Karnataka and Saurashtra in the next two games. The next match was a heartbreaker: Sourav Ganguly topscored with 66 as Bengal made 193 in their first innings and Ranadeb Bose bagged a five-for to bowl out Uttar Pradesh for 62. However, Bengal were blown away by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the second innings for 104. And UP chased down the target of 236 with three wickets remaining. Bengal took the lead in their last game against Delhi, but it was too little, too late.Men to watchThree years ago, Tiwary was the chief fringe player for India before an injury pushed the likes of Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and S Badrinath ahead in the queue. He recovered from the setbacks, but hasn’t set domestic cricket on fire with his performances and has gone down in the pecking order. Can he find his hunger for runs this season? Wriddhiman Saha and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala will be the other names to look out for in the batting. The pace and spin combo of Ranadeb Bose (28 wickets) and Saurasish Lahiri shared 46 wickets between themselves in the last season. The likes of Ashok Dinda and Shukla, relieved from captaincy, will have to step up.

Himachal Pradesh

Vikramjeet Malik, who was Himachal Pradesh’s top wicket-taker last year, will lead their attack again•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Himachal Pradesh have worked their way up, winning the Plate League in the 2008-09 season to qualify for the elite stage the following year. But they squandered opportunities against the more formidable teams and deprived themselves of a place in the knockouts. They had held a position of advantage and had a realistic shot at a win against Hyderabad, Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Orissa but, in the end, had to settle for a solitary win, three losses and the frustration of not completing the job.The captaincy has changed hands in the interim with batsman Paras Dogra, 25, who was Himachal’s second-highest run-getter last season, taking over from seamer Ashok Thakur.”We have a lot of expectations from Dogra,” Himachal coach Rajdeep Kalsi told ESPNcricinfo. “He is young and energetic, and the decision was taken to groom him better under Thakur, who has served us for a long time.”It was the batting that let Himachal down last season with its inconsistency. First-innings leads were laid to waste with lacklustre performances in the second innings while chasing targets and the hard work of the bowlers, the team’s main strength, was not backed up. The draw this year includes a different set of opposition for Himachal, with them taking on Haryana in the opener and matches lined up against Karnataka, Baroda as well as Uttar Pradesh.Their base in Dharamsala, Kalsi said, with conditions conducive to swing – each of
seamers Vikramjeet Malik, Thakur and Mohinderraj Sharma had impressive seasons last year – should hold them in good stead. “A couple of years ago we bowled out a Delhi
team including Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag for 75 runs. We’ve been relying on
these two-three bowlers and they’ve never let us down,” Kalsi said. If they managed to ruffle up some title contenders last season, they’ll expect to do better this time.What they did last season
Strong bowling performances were a constant for Himachal last season with their seamers
handing them the initiative. Hyderabad were bowled out for 189, Mumbai for 162,
Punjab and Gujarat for 186 and 87 respectively. But their batsmen failed them. They
couldn’t scale down a target of 168 against Hyderabad
and settled for a draw. They were beaten by Tamil Nadu
while chasing 247, were skittled out for 82 by Punjab in an
eight-wicket defeat and lost to Mumbai by 85 runs. The disappointing returns with the bat
were evident in the fact that none of the batsmen averaged above 40.Men to watch
Himachal have roped in two new players for this season, Gurvinder Singh and Abhineesh
Sharma, who has won a place based on his performances at the Under-22 level.
Gurvinder is an offspinner and Sharma a left-handed batsman. Back in the mix after
two years is Manvinder Bisla, who represented Kings XI Punjab in the IPL with some
aggressive innings at the top of the order. But the batting will depend, to a
significant extent, on Dogra and Vinit Indulkar, who top-scored for the state last
season. The performance of the seamers, led by Malik and Thakur, could again prove decisive.

Saurashtra

Ravindra Jadeja will hope to perform well for Saurashtra to keep himself in the reckoning for the India team•AFP

Saurashtra surprised many by reaching the semi-finals in two of the last three seasons. Their 2007-08 campaign gave them the belief that they no longer need to fear the good teams and the next year’s efforts showed everybody else that Saurashtra had indeed turned a corner. As Shitanshu Kotak, their senior player said last year, “No one used to bother about Saurashtra in the past. Now they sit up and take notice, they think this team can beat us. It feels great.”The decision that changed things around was the nomination of the veteran Debu Mitra as the coach. It was the former India spinner Dilip Doshi who recommended Mitra’s name. “Mitra’s coaching manual is simple and always gives emphasis on the basics,” Niranjan Shah, the secretary of Saurashtra Cricket Association, said. “The boys have tremendous respect for him. Cheteshwar Pujara has already made it to the Indian team and Jaidev Unadkat is waiting for his chance.” Without the presence of Pujara, who is likely to be in the national squad, things won’t be easy this year.What they did last seasonIt wasn’t a good year as they finished near the bottom of their group, drawing three games and losing three. Yet it wasn’t as disastrous a season as it looks on paper. They came close to win in a few matches and fought hard in the rest but things didn’t go their way. Against Uttar Pradesh, Saurashtra ended up on 155 for 5, chasing 277 for a win, in 63 overs on the final day in the opening game . They came close in the second game but couldn’t finish the job again, piling up 544 and forcing Maharashtra to follow on but prising out only five opposition wickets in the second innings. It was the same story in the next match as they forced Bengal to follow-on but couldn’t get a win. In the next round, Delhi’s medium-pacers Pawan Suyal and Parwinder Awana bowled out Saurashtra for 214 in the second innings to inflict a defeat. They lost to Baroda in a low-scoring thriller in the next round before Karnataka beat them in the final game of the season.Men to watch
The opener Chirag Pathak led with the bat last season, amassing 601 runs at 60.10. Pujara piled up 554 at 79.14. Pratik Mehta and Kotak were other contributors with the bat. In the absence of Pujara, the rest will have to play out of their skins if Saurashtra have to do well this season. Ravindra Jadeja will be keen to perform and try to remain in the reckoning for the national team. Seamer Sandeep Jobanputra did well last season and Rakesh Dhurv picked up 16 wickets with his left-arm spin. Both will be key this year for Saurashtra.

The first Test against India will be Daniel Vettori’s 100th Test for New Zealand, making him only the second cricketer from the country, since Stephen Fleming, to reach the milestone

Sriram Veera in Ahmedabad01-Nov-2010The first Test against India will be Daniel Vettori’s 100th for New Zealand, making him only the second cricketer from the country, since Stephen Fleming, to reach the milestone. Vettori said it was a landmark that meant a lot to him.”It’s a great honour for me and something I would really cherish all my life. It’s been an amazing journey,” said Vettori, who in addition to his New Zealand appearances, also turned out for the World XI, against Australia in 2005. “For anyone to have such longevity is a great achievement. The fact that I have played well most all the time and that it is not just a number, gives me great satisfaction.”Vettori’s coach Mark Greatbatch termed it a “phenomenal achievement”. “Dan is very humble and very hard working, and 100 Tests for New Zealand is a testament to his skills and his longevity.”Vettori said the occasion, momentous as it may be, won’t disturb his focus once the Test starts. “I have got all the celebrations out of the way in Hamilton; I am just trying to focus on the game. I am trying to see it as just another Test.”It won’t be just another Test of course. If he hits 38 runs at Motera he will become only the third allrounder in Test history to have 4000 runs and 300 Test wickets, behind Kapil Dev and Ian Botham. It’s big.”I suppose with how my game has developed over the last few years, I have worked on my skills, 4000 runs and 400 wickets is what I really aspire to achieve and that’s not too far away,” he said. Vettori is currently on 325 wickets and said that he is under no illusions about who has been New Zealand’s all-time best bowler. “But if I do get there [431 wickets], I would still see Sir Richard Hadlee as our greatest bowler ever. His record is amazing. Mine will be a career of longevity, while his was one of absolute skill. He is one of the greatest bowlers of all time.”Stats reveal that Vettori has been a better bowler in ODIs, and he agreed. “My batting in both forms of the game has come on, as has my one-day bowling. But Test match bowling is something I want to get better at.”There are a number of goals that I want to achieve and that is primary among them. At times, I have been a successful Test bowler, but that is a part of my game I want to improve.”Vettori took over the captaincy from Fleming after the 2007 World Cup and is currently going through his toughest time as a leader. New Zealand were drubbed 4-0 by Bangladesh in the recently-concluded one-day series and faced severe criticism back home.”It was hard, but the criticism you have within your own thoughts is worse than anything anyone could say,” Vettori said. “What I have put myself through and what all the rest of the team has put itself through couldn’t compare with what anyone else could say. We expected the criticism, and it was all fair. When you lose 4-0, no matter to whom, you should expect a lot of criticism. Hopefully, it can be a catalyst for us in improving in all facets of our game.”Vettori is the only member in this squad who has played Tests in India and he said that though he will have a big role to play, he anticipates a major effort from the fast bowlers. “I suppose the responsibility primarily lies with me as the most experienced bowler over here, but I know, looking at the statistics, that seam bowlers can do a pretty good job particularly if you can get the ball reversing. So we are going to place a lot of onus on them bowling well and not just saying it’s up to the spinners to do the job.”

An ICC inspection team has raised serious concerns over the preparedness of Eden Gardens and the Wankhede Stadium for next year’s World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2010An ICC inspection team has raised serious concerns over the preparedness of two key World Cup venues – Eden Gardens in Kolkata and the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai – in time for the tournament, which begins on February 19, 2011.
Its interim report says the original November 30 deadline for completion of construction, which neither stadium has met, is likely to be over-run by at least a month and warns that, if construction at these venues is not completed by January 15, “it is not possible to confirm that the venues will be in a suitable condition to be handed over by January 31”.The inspection team, headed by ICC events manager Chris Tetley, visited the World Cup venues in India in late November and early December. In its evaluation – first reported in the – it listed the pending work and expressed doubts over its completion by the end of the year. The report quotes Professor Eugene van Vuuren, the ICC’s Stadium Consultant, as saying construction programmes were likely to be completed by late January at the earliest. “This pre-supposes no unforeseen delays or further impacts on construction by the current poor weather.”Beyond the construction work, there are a number of other tasks that will also need to be finished before any games can be played. These include landscaping and necessary beautification of the grounds, interior finishing and furnishing, the installation of entry gates, certification by local authorities, and the installation of temporary infrastructure required specifically for the World Cup.The report is reminiscent of the situation with the Commonwealth Games in Delhi earlier this year, where venues and other facilities were completed at the last moment and after widespread criticism by various stakeholders – athletes, officials, administrators – and the global media.Tournament director Ratnakar Shetty said this was the first he was hearing about the report but added that he was confident of the work being done in time. “There are two parts of the job that have to be completed in the Wankhede Stadium: the last of the construction and the finishing of the details,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “The construction will stop by December 31, after which the rest of the work will be done to finish the access to the stadium and all the smaller details.”I’m quite confident it will be done by January 15, which is two months before the Wankhede Stadium’s first World Cup game. In any case, the major work at Wankhede is already done, with regard to the corporate boxes and the bucket seats.”He said the World Cup organisers would want the ICC to carry out another visit to the Wankhede, Eden Gardens and three Sri Lankan venues around January 15.The report was especially scathing about the condition of Eden Gardens, which it said had more unresolved issues than any other venue, and of the local administration. “Unfortunately, the venue administration did not recognise the requirements of the event and were often unwilling to discuss or agree to what was required. There was a tendency to rely on experiences of previous World Cup matches which took place in 1996, and are not wholly relevant to the needs of stakeholders for CWC 2011.”The report states that “a meeting with Mr Dalmiya [president of the Cricket Association of Bengal] was useful in explaining a few of the issues; however he was not present for discussion on the detailed requirements of the inspection team.”It said a decision would soon be taken on whether to start building the roof on two of the blocks – if the roof was not built, the chances of completion would be greater and there would be no impact on staging World Cup matches.Construction work apart, the outstanding issues include:

• Tickets and hospitality currently offered for the use of ICC sponsors are unacceptable
• Sightscreens at both ends need to be raised
• A suitable location for the D/L Manager needs to be found. The upstairs room is not appropriate
• The anti-doping and medical rooms need to be separate facilities and not shared
• An overflow location for media and NRH needs to be identified and demarcated
• Uninterrupted back-up power is required for the floodlights and replay screens

The Wankhede Stadium, it said, would be an “excellent facility for international cricket” when completed but noted “there is still much to be done”. The pending work includes:

• Uninterrupted power supply for the floodlights and replay screens
• A significant amount of one-way tinting to be placed on glass frontages above sightscreens at both ends
• The umpires changing room needs to move from the designated space under construction to the location allocated to the medical and anti-doping rooms
• The anti-doping and medical rooms need to be separate facilities and not shared

The interim report concludes by stating, “It will be necessary to re-inspect both venues and take a decision on the viability of staging the World Cup matches as currently scheduled.”

Only 17.1 overs were possible on a frustrating fifth day at the Division Two final, which has now been stretched to an extra day in order to ensure at least one completed first innings

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsOnly 17.1 overs were possible on a frustrating fifth day at the Division Two final, which has now been stretched to an extra day in order to ensure at least one completed first innings. There will be no play tomorrow, on account of the murder of the Punjab (Pakistan) governer Salman Taseer, and hence the extra day of play will be on Thursday, the seventh day since the start of the game. Khan Research Laboratories, who had remained on 12 for 1 through the rained-out fourth day, proceeded to 74 for 2 by stumps. Mohammad Rameez provided the one spark in the day’s play, producing a big inswinger to disturb Zulfiqar Jan’s middle stump. KRL still trail State Bank of Pakistan by 229 runs.