Two men at different ends of the Twenty20 spectrum powered Mumbai Indians to their best batting performance in the tournament after which heavy rain wiped out the match

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran30-Sep-2011Match abandoned
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Sarul Kanwar made a splash in his first game for Mumbai Indians•Associated Press

Two men at different ends of the Twenty20 spectrum powered Mumbai Indians to their best batting performance in the tournament after which heavy rain wiped out the match. One of the biggest names in the format, Kieron Pollard, and a debutant, Sarul Kanwar, went on a six-hitting spree as Mumbai put up a strong 176 against Cape Cobras.Aiden Blizzard was expected to be the fire starter at the top of the order for Mumbai, instead it was the little known Kanwar who provided the pyrotechnics. Kanwar, a 23-year-old Punjab opener with only one season of domestic cricket behind him, showed no fear in his first big game, clouting the Cobras fast bowlers.The first shot to make people sit up was a clean swing that sent Charl Langeveldt over the midwicket boundary in the second over. Langeveldt was taken for a four and a six square on the leg side in his next over, and JP Duminy disappeared for 17 in the fifth, before Kanwar showed he can hit straight as well by thumping Vernon Philander over long-off. After five sixes and three fours, he nearly got to his half-century with a stylish hit over deep extra cover but the shot lacked a few yards and was caught.Kanwar’s effort solved Mumbai’s headache at the top of the order, and they will also be pleased with the return to form of one of their middle-order stars, Pollard. With Blizzard and Ambati Rayudu falling soon after Kanwar, Mumbai were in danger of losing their way before Pollard intervened. He warmed up with two monstrous straight sixes off JP Duminy, before backing it up with a couple of fours behind square leg. James Franklin joined in by launching Robin Peterson for two more sixes. By the time Pollard completed Langeveldt’s horror day by scoring 18 in the 16th over, Mumbai had surged to 143 for 3.Cobras managed to pull it back a bit in the final overs, with Justin Kemp giving away only two runs in the 17th, but some more boundaries from Andrew Symonds pushed Mumbai to 176. Even as the Mumbai innings wound to an end, the rains arrived and stayed for several hours, forcing the team to split points.

ESPNcricinfo previews the CLT20 match between Chennai Super Kings and Trinidad & Tobago

The Preview by Nikita Bastian01-Oct-2011

Match facts

Chennai Super Kings v Trinidad & Tobago, October 2, Chennai
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Ravi Rampaul picked up a five-for the last time he played an Indian team at Chepauk•Associated Press

Big Picture

Chennai Super Kings got the win they needed to stay alive in the Champions League Twenty20 against Cape Cobras on Wednesday. Now, they must win against Trinidad & Tobago to sustain their chance of making the semi-finals. T&T have lost one match off the last ball and one in a Super Over; both were matches which they could and should have won. Like the Super Kings, they now need to win two out of two, but they will also have to bank on other results going their way. The forecast in Chennai is for thunder showers during the day and a cloudy night. A wash-out will knock T&T out and leave the Super Kings precariously placed.The Super Kings’ win against the Cobras should boost their confidence – they chased (something they prefer to avoid) on a sluggish track and won despite scoreboard pressure. They’ve been in must-win situations before and seem to thrive on the extra pressure. If the visitors are to get past them they will have to shed their tardiness in the field.T&T, so far, have seemed heavily dependent on their top three – Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath and Darren Bravo – for runs, something that the Super Kings would look to exploit. Ravi Rampaul, T&T’s bowling spearhead, had a nightmarish last two overs in the game against New South Wales, but the memories of his five-for against India in the World Cup at this ground should be enough to dispel any negativity. A contest to watch out for is Dwayne Bravo taking on his State side that includes his brother Darren.

Watch out for …

Suresh Raina has never missed a match for the Super Kings. He has scored over 2000 runs for the team in 70 games, and has invariably delivered – with bat and ball – in tough situations. So far in this tournament though, he hasn’t found his rhythm, with scores of 18 off 17 balls and 20 of 23. Will he manage to pull off a typical, boundary-studded innings in this crunch match?Legspinner Samuel Badree has been miserly in T&T’s four matches (qualifiers included), conceding only 4.75 runs an over – the best economy-rate among bowlers who have delivered a minimum of 15 overs in the tournament. It will be interesting to see how he fares on the Chennai pitch, which has traditionally allowed the hosts’ slow bowlers to apply the squeeze on the opposition in the second-half of an innings.

Team news

Both sides have fielded the same XI in all their games in the tournament, and are unlikely to experiment.

Stats and trivia

• Four of the six bowlers T&T have used in the tournament – Badree, Sunil Narine, Kevon Cooper and Rampaul – have economy rates below 6.00
• Only 15 of the Super Kings’ 43 wins (IPL and CLT20 combined) have come while chasing

Quotes

“I try to use some skidders, some wrong ‘uns, try to get some turn off the legbreak as well … the main thing is to keep your eyes on the batsmen as long as possible, see what they are doing and try to out-think them.”
“MS [Dhoni] really showed the way to go about it on this [Chennai] wicket, placing the ball in the gaps, and running a lot of singles and twos.”

Chris Doig, the former New Zealand Cricket CEO, has died in Christchurch

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2011Chris Doig, the former New Zealand Cricket CEO, has died in Christchurch at the age of 62. Doig had struggled with cancer for some time before his death. He had headed the New Zealand board for six years, before Martin Snedden took over in 2001.Doig had also previously worked on the New Zealand Rugby Union board, was active with New Zealand Rowing and was a prominent opera singer who founded Southern Opera. He was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in June.Paying tribute to Doig, New Zealand prime minister John Key said this was a loss to the country’s sports and art fields. “Chris has had a remarkable career in the arts and in sport,” Key said. “His commitment to cricket and to rugby, and to the city of Christchurch, has been truly breathtaking.”NZC’s current chief executive Justin Vaughan praised Doig’s contribution to cricket in New Zealand. “It was an honour and a privilege to have known Chris, ” he said . “He was a great servant of New Zealand Cricket and an insightful and astute administrator. He will be fondly remembered for his contributions not only to cricket but his service to other sports, the arts and the community.”

Matabeleland Tuskers and Mountaineers surged to easy wins as the Stanbic Bank 20 Series got rolling in Harare

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2011Matabeleland Tuskers and Mountaineers surged to easy wins as the Stanbic Bank 20 Series got rolling in Harare.Natsai Mushangwe was the hero for Mountaineers after they chose to field against Mid West Rhinos at the Harare Sports Club. Rhinos were in a dominant position at 55 for 1 in the eighth over, with Brendan Taylor and Riki Wessels on menacing 30-plus scores. Mushangwe, however, accounted for Taylor, who had struck two sixes, to spark a slide in which nine wickets fell for 60 runs. Shingi Masakadza and Prosper Utseya chipped in with two wickets apiece, while Mushangwe scalped 3 for 19.The target of 116 posed Mountaineers with few problems, after Hamilton Masakadza laid the foundation with a steady 34. Former New Zealand allrounder Chris Harris then controlled the chase with an unbeaten 39 to take his side home with seven balls to spare. Fast bowlers Shaun Tait and Dirk Nannes – the Australian imports in the two sides – finished wicketless in their economical spells.Njabulo Ncube was Mashonaland Eagles‘ bugbear as they struggled to 120 for 8 in their 20 overs, a target that Matabeleland Tuskers hunted down with four overs to spare also at the Harare Sports Club. Keegan Meth started the damage, picking up 2 for 15 as the power-packed Eagles top order faltered. Rory Hamilton-Brown, Peter Trego and Ryan ten Doeschate were the notable casualties as they stumbled to 51 for 5 in the 10th over. A series of 20s from Forster Mutizwa, Elton Chigumbura and Andrew Hall steadied the situation, setting the Tuskers a run-a-ball chase.Tom Smith’s early dismissal gave Eagles some hope, but Chris Gayle was only warming up to the task. He did not clear the field, but struck three fours in a crisp 27, and along with Paul Horton (30) took the game away from Eagles. Charles Coventry then sealed victory in a blaze of big hits, smashing four sixes and two fours in 44 off 19 balls.

Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has already set his sights on the home series against England in the UAE after completing a successful tour of Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2011Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has already set his sights on the home series against England in the UAE, in January and February 2012, after completing a successful tour of Bangladesh. The Pakistan team returned home on Friday after winning all their matches in Bangladesh – two Tests, three ODIs and a Twenty20 international – to end a successful year.Their next assignment is against England, the No.1 ranked Test side. Pakistan are presently No. 5, above Sri Lanka, their best rating since March 2009. “The series against England is important, and very tough,” Misbah said in Lahore. “England is the world’s best Test team, but on current form we can beat any team.”Since taking over the captaincy from Salman Butt, following the spot-fixing scandal on the tour of England in 2010, Misbah led Pakistan in 13 Tests, of which they won six, drew six and lost one. Misbah, however, said there was scope for improvement. “Despite achieving some good results we still need to overcome some of the mistakes we committed. The management as well as the players are determined to overcome them because England will be really tough.”Our targets on the Bangladesh tour were to keep consistency in our performance, overcome some of the mistakes and improve our rankings, and we achieved that.”The results in Bangladesh came soon after the success against Sri Lanka in the UAE, where Pakistan won the Tests 1-0 and the ODIs 4-1. “The best part about this team is that we have good coordination among the seniors and juniors,” Misbah said. “The support staff is helping players, and each and every player realises his duty, and that will help us against England.”Pakistan retained the interim coach Mohsin Khan for the series against England, while they continue their search for a permanent replacement for Waqar Younis. Mohsin also said the team was already looking forward to 2012. ” We played good cricket all year long and hence the year ends on a successful note. Now the wins over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are part of history,” he said. “We have to start afresh against England and need to raise our game because the next opponents are very strong and ranked No. 1 in the world. We are coming through a successful winning record and I am confident that we can obtain very good results against them.”Pakistan selectors will meet next week to pick the squad against England. There will be a training camp in Lahore before the departure for the UAE, where the first Test begins on January 17.

Gloucestershire have suffered a huge blow after the city council rejected plans to develop their homeground of Nevil Road in Bristol.

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2012The future of Gloucestershire has been thrown into doubt after plans to develop their Nevil Road home were rejected. The club could now leave Bristol, where they have played since their formation in 1870.Gloucestershire had hoped to undertake a £10 million project to raise the capacity of Nevil Road to meet ECB standards and keep international cricket but the city council rejected their plans. Gloucestershire are now looking at several options to secure their future, one of which is a move to another part of the county.The ground development was essential to maintaining a one-day international at Bristol, a match which brings £1 million to the city. The project was to be funded by building flats at one end of the ground but permission for this was rejected. Opponents thought the plan for a seven-story block of 147 flats was too big, didn’t comply with sustainability commitments and lacked contributions towards education and green spaces.Chief executive Tom Richardson said the club were angry at the decision to reject plans that were recommended for approval by the council’s planning officers and a move away from Bristol was now a serious possibility. “We’ve said all along if we don’t have international cricket at Bristol, and we’re staring down the barrel at that, then we’ll have to consider moving elsewhere,” said Richardson.Gloucester City Council have already been in touch with the club for early talks over a potential move to the Wagon Works Ground, a venue Gloucestershire used from 1923 to 1992.The club now have to decide whether to appeal the decision to reject planning permission or seek other options. Either way, time against them. “It’s a long term decision and can’t be taken lightly or quickly but the clock is ticking,” said Richardson. “The international in 2013 is now extremely dodgy or maybe already disappeared. With international cricket here we had a very good plan going forward. Now we have to have a serious rethink.”Another consequence on the rejected plans is the impact on the playing budget. A contract offer to Chris Taylor was conditional on the development going ahead. Taylor could now be the second senior player to leave Nevil Road, after Jon Lewis’ departure to Surrey at the end of the last season.

Bangladesh A, on the back of an incisive spell from Suhrawadi Shuvo, completed a75-run win against England Lions in the third unofficial ODI in Chittagong

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2012
ScorecardBangladesh A, on the back of an incisive spell from Suhrawadi Shuvo, completed a 75-run win against England Lions in the third unofficial ODI in Chittagong. The win gives Bangladesh A a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.England Lions put Bangladesh A in, a decision that seemingly paid off when Stuart Meaker picked up two early wickets. Thereafter, though, the rest of the top and middle order all contributed to make sure the hosts went past the 200-run mark. Mahmudul Hasan and Shuvagata Hom both made scores in the 40s, while one of the openers, Nasiruddin Faruque, top scored with 53. Bangladesh A lost most of their wickets to left-arm spinner Danny Briggs and run outs – three apiece.The chase of 219 was off to a brisk start, with Alex Hales and James Vince putting on 48 in under eight overs. Once Shuvo broke that stand with his left-arm spin though, Bangladesh A struck with regularity. England Lions lost all ten wickets for 95 runs, folding for 143 in the 35th over. Shuvo, the Man of the Match, finished with four wickets and conceded only 25 runs in 7.4 overs.