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Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, has said his side may have found it hard to motivate themselves for the sixth ODI against New Zealand having already won the series

Andrew Fernando at Eden Park05-Feb-2011Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, has said his side may have found it hard to motivate themselves for the sixth ODI against New Zealand, having already won the series. Pakistan lost Saturday’s match in Auckland by 57 runs, but the series ended 3-2 in their favour.”We tried our best today [Saturday], but it didn’t really happen,” Waqar said. “When you win the series, it’s hard to be motivated sometimes. Maybe you get a little lazy at times, but overall I’m happy with the way the boys played today.”Pakistan had won the toss and put New Zealand in to bat, hoping the Eden Park surface would offer something for the fast bowlers, but the pitch proved to be an absolute belter, as batsmen on both sides hit through the line without fear and to great effect; and Waqar admitted they had misread the conditions. “I think we were expecting the ball to move a little bit more. But here in Auckland it’s a very deceptive pitch. Even when we used to play here a few years ago, it looks damp but it does nothing.”New Zealand’s batsmen dominated the Pakistan attack on Saturday. Jesse Ryder made 107 from 93 balls, before Scott Styris and Nathan McCullum galloped to half-centuries towards the end of the innings to lift New Zealand’s total to 310. Pakistan lost three wickets inside twelve overs in their run chase and Waqar said it was the regular loss of wickets that left them unable to threaten New Zealand’s total.”We gave it a good run, but every time we got momentum we lost a wicket at the wrong time. They played better than us when we were bowling, so they deserved to win.”Pakistan cricket has had a controversy-ridden last 12 months, but Waqar said the latest news that Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were facing charges from the Crown Prosecution Service in the UK did not have any effect on Pakistan’s performance on the field in the final ODI, as the team were largely unaware of the charges. “I knew it because I read it in the paper, but I don’t think anybody else knew it. I don’t think the boys had any talk about it. It didn’t really bother us.”Pakistan’s loss at Eden Park followed a series-deciding victory in Hamilton, which gave Pakistan their first one-day series win since 2008. They had ended a four-year Test series drought, with a 1-0 win over New Zealand earlier in the tour, and Waqar said the results were encouraging ahead of the World Cup. “It’s been a while since Pakistan won anything. The most satisfying thing is the fitness is pretty good. The guys look good in the field, which has never happened before. They’re all geared up and hopefully the same momentum goes into the World Cup.”With the amount of controversy in the last 8 to 9 months, we needed something like this. We needed to develop our team again, and the only way we could do it is if we started playing well.”Misbah-ul-Haq and Wahab Riaz were rested for the final ODI, giving Sohail Tanvir and Asad Shafiq some valuable match practice before the World Cup. Tanvir was expensive, leaking 78 runs in eight overs, but Shafiq impressed during his stay, rebuilding smartly alongside Kamran Akmal after Pakistan had lost three early wickets. Waqar said Pakistan hadn’t yet finalised their XI for the World Cup. “We’ve given most of our guys a game. Asad Shafiq played really well today. It’s unfortunate he got run out because he was looking really good. We don’t really know the XI at the moment because there are a few warm-up games before the World Cup, but we’ve got a good unit.”

Ireland will have another chance to showcase their international credentials after being invited along with Sri Lanka to join hosts Scotland for a short triangular series in Edinburgh during July

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-2011Ireland will have another chance to showcase their international credentials after being invited along with Sri Lanka to join hosts Scotland for a short triangular series in Edinburgh during July.The three matches will be staged on July 11, 12 and 13 at the Grange following Sri Lanka’s Test and one-day tour of England which concludes with the final ODI at Old Trafford on July 9.Ireland caught the imagination of the cricket world when they chased down 329 to beat England in Bangalore at the World Cup and have put in other hard-fought displays against India and West Indies. The two matches against Sri Lanka and fellow Associates Scotland will give them another opportunity to show how they are developing at the top level.”This is a great boost to us to face a side of the quality of Sri Lanka,” Phil Simmons, the Ireland coach, said. “They have proved already that they are one of the best sides in the world and they are just the sort of opponent we need.”Ireland need to play more one-day internationals between World Cups to give us the experience we need to perform and excel at these tournaments. A game against Sri Lanka, who are ranked third in the ICC rankings, is just the sort of fixture we are crying out for.”The fixtures are also important for Scotland who have slipped down the Associate pecking order in recent times after playing in the 1999 and 2007 World Cups. They failed to reach the current tournament on the subcontinent having finished fifth in the qualifiers although that meant they retained ODI status.”These games against Full Members are always vital, and will give the Scottish team another opportunity to compete against one of the best sides in the world,” Roddy Smith, the Cricket Scotland chief executive, said. “Following on from the recent visits of England, Australia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, it will also enable the Scottish cricketing public to see the Sri Lankan team in Scotland for the first time in an official one-day international.”

Brett Lee believes he is now a craftier bowler than at any time in his career, but despite being 34 he is not willing to compromise his speed

Brydon Coverdale in Bangalore10-Mar-2011Brett Lee believes he is now a craftier bowler than at any time in his career, but despite being 34 he is not willing to compromise his speed. Australia’s captain, Ricky Ponting, last week described Lee as the glue that held Australia’s World Cup attack together, although he has only three wickets from three games, while the spoils have been greater for Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson.But that is no reflection on how Lee has bowled. He has been accurate and miserly, and is enjoying being the leader of the attack, having spent more than a year out of Australia’s side due to injuries throughout 2009 and 2010. He could have been forgiven for reducing his pace in an effort to prolong his career, but Lee is confident he has plenty of speed left in his armoury.”I’m still out to bowl fast,” Lee said. “I said about six months ago that if I couldn’t hit that 150kph mark I wouldn’t want to be playing cricket, which is the truth. I do thrive on speed. I enjoy the pace, I enjoy seeing the stumps fly. That’s the exciting part of cricket.”However, on the slower pitches of the subcontinent, which Lee knows well, having made “40 or 50″ trips to India over the years, he has found some variations that help him when the pace off the pitch doesn’t. And it has worked – Ponting believes Lee is bowling as well as he ever has, even if the wickets have gone to the other fast men.”[I’m] more likely to be a bit more cagey as a bowler now, a bit smarter,” Lee said. “As batsmen are working on new shots, lap sweeps, reverse lap sweeps, we as bowlers have to be evolving as well – slower-ball bumpers, wide-line yorkers, those type of things. It’s just about fine-tuning your trade and being a bit smarter when you bowl.”Lee has given up first-class cricket to concentrate on lengthening his career in the shorter formats and since his return to the ODI side in January, he has taken 14 wickets at 25.28. His role in the World Cup attack is to be the steadiest of the three pace bowlers, and he said although all three of them could hit 150kph, they each offered Ponting something different.”If you look at the way we’ve bowled collectively as a group, we’ve bowled very well as a pace unit,” Lee said. “What we’ve got is we actually complement each other. People might think that we’re three guys that can bowl 150kph and we’re all playing the same role, but we’re completely different.”We’ve got Mitch that does what he does first change, we’ve got Taity that can fire the ball in in the first couple of overs. I try and do what I do at the top and try and lead from example. It might look as though we’ve got three guys that are bowling similar stuff but it is quite different. We’ve got a great balance in the side with Shane Watson as well, he’s been bowling well, and Jason Krejza.”The Australians have two wins and a no-result from their three games so far, but could jump to the top of the Group A table if they beat Kenya and Canada as expected in Bangalore this Sunday and Wednesday. Michael Hussey has joined the squad and will be available for the Kenya game, while the standby fast bowler Dirk Nannes is expected to fly in early next week.

It took one month and five attempts last season for Middlesex to win a Championship match but after 20 wickets fell in 92.1 overs at Lord’s they will have victory sealed against Essex in just over two days

Sahil Dutta at Lord's16-Apr-2011
Scorecard
With the hard work done on the second day Middlesex enjoyed the first sighting of sunshine at Lord’s this Championship summer, needing just over 40 minutes to seal victory over Essex.20 Essex wickets fell the previous day to leave Middlesex needing just 54 for victory and despite a second failure in the game for captain Neil Dexter they reached their target inside 11 overs. With everyone chasing a Saturday off in the sunshine Scott Newman hurried the victory with seven boundaries in his unbeaten 38.The day before Newman had been goading Ravi Bopara on Twitter after Bopara had taken to the internet to vent his frustration about the Tiflex ball – which is used in Division Two and has a reputation for prodigious swing – and state of the pitch. Newman response was clear: “Dry your eyes, big lad. No feet movement and loose shots is a recipe for nicking off.”James Foster, the Essex captain, was not quite as resolute as Newman but dismissed any complaints about the ball for his side’s second defeat in as many games.”It’s the same for both sides,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s early season, the ball is going to swing a bit because of the conditions, it’s going to nibble a bit because of the pitches. It’s early April, it’s always happened. I’m not sure if it’s the ball, that’s just what it’s been like for the last x amount of years I’ve been involved in cricket. We haven’t performed well enough, it’s as simple as that.”One man who certainly wasn’t complaining about the ball was Steven Finn. He is looking to push his case for an England recall after losing out during the Ashes and though he only took five in the match the quality of his bowling, and his scalps – Bopara in both innings and Alastair Cook second time round – put down an ideal marker to start his season.”I’ve had my ups and downs over the last year but I’m developing all the time, he said. “There are still areas of inconsistency I need to work on and get better at though.”I feel like I’ve become a better bowler over the last year, I’m learning to swing the ball more and getting it to move away from the right-handers but consistency is the most important thing. It doesn’t matter if your bowling with an apple or a cricket ball, you still have to put the ball in the right area and let the rest happen. We went out there looking to enjoy ourselves and if we keep doing that results will come.”Middlesex will hope England don’t come calling because with Finn at the helm they could be a formidable attack in Division Two.

Jason Roy guided Surrey to a four-wicket win over Hampshire in a low-scoring Clydesdale Bank 40 Group B match at the Rose Bowl

02-May-2011
ScorecardJason Roy guided Surrey to a four-wicket win over Hampshire in a low-scoring Clydesdale Bank 40 Group B match at the Rose Bowl. The 20-year-old hit a match top score of 76 to help ease Surrey home with more than six overs to spare.Chasing Hampshire’s meagre 141 all out, made in 30 overs, Surrey were in trouble at 45 for 5, still needing another 97 for victory. But Roy teamed up with Matthew Spriegel in a match-winning stand of 95 for the sixth wicket as Hampshire ran out of ideas. Roy hit four fours and a six and faced 108 balls, but it was his ability to dig in during a crisis which proved vital to the Surrey cause.Hampshire chose to bat first and were in trouble from the start, losing both openers, James Adams and James Vince, with only 16 on the board in the third over. There was only one partnership of note, 41 for the fourth wicket between top scorer Liam Dawson and experienced South African Neil McKenzie.Jade Dernbach did most of the damage, removing the dangerous Adams in his first over and then returning to demolish the tail, sending back Benny Howell, Dominic Cork and last man Danny Briggs. Yasir Arafat and Tim Linley each took two wickets and Dawson was the only batsman who made any impression, hitting 34 with only two boundaries.But, if Surrey thought their target was a simple one, they were wrong because both openers, Rory Hamilton-Brown and Steven Davies, were out by the third over and Zander de Bruyn and Tom Maynard soon followed.Gary Wilson was out first ball as spinner Briggs made an instant impression, with two wickets in his first over. At 45 for 5, Hampshire must have fancied their chances of a second win of the season.But, then, Roy and Spriegel began the task of repairing the damage, taking few chances but taking Surrey within sight of their target. Chris Wood prevented Roy finishing off the job by bowling him at the start of the 33rd over, but Chris Schofield got the two runs required from the only ball he faced.Spriegel was 29 not out from 48 balls when the winning runs were scored and Briggs was the most economical of the Hampshire bowlers, taking 2 for 27 from his eight-over allotment.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second IPL qualifier between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians in Chennai

The Preview by Nitin Sundar26-May-2011

Match facts

Friday, May 27, Chennai
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)”Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages … fasten your seat-belts for another show”•AFP

Big Picture

In the circus that is IPL 2011, Mumbai Indians have been the trampoline artistes. They soared through the first half of the season, putting more than daylight between themselves and the rest. Then they lost steam, and began hurtling towards terra firma. At one point they even had to deal with the possibility of missing the play-offs but, almost inevitably, they bounced back with two nerve-shredding wins against Kolkata Knight Riders.Trampoline acts are fine, but can get repetitive after a while. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore have provided real entertainment in their corner of the circus, led by the ringmaster Chris Gayle. He has done everything for them – he has twirled his whip to tame the wildest bowling attacks, and he has juggled batting and bowling duties without breaking a sweat, all without losing the inimitable strut and swagger that are part of his persona. He has rarely failed to entertain this season, and Chepauk will love to be regaled one final time on Friday evening. If Gayle’s still in town on Saturday, though, they won’t be rooting for him. Chennai Super Kings are already in the final, and will have the crowd behind them for the big game.This virtual semi-final can best be seen through the prism of various mini-battles that will make up the contest: the battle of the tenses – the present, Tendulkar v the future, Kohli; the battle of the storms – Gayle v Blizzard; and the battle of the coloured caps – Gayle v Malinga. On a flat track, and in humid conditions that could herald a dewy night, the battle that matters most could be when the coin is spun.

Form guide (most recent first)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: LWLWW
Mumbai Indians: WWLLL

Team talk

Mumbai, like the rest of us, will be surprised by the fact that James Franklin has been their batting saviour for two games on the trot. Aiden Blizzard’s form is good news, but the continued struggle in the middle order isn’t. Kieron Pollard’s strongest suit seems to be his fielding, and Mumbai should mull bringing in Andrew Symonds for him.The silver lining in Bangalore’s defeat in the first play-off was the manner in which their batting stood up after Gayle’s early exit. Still, questions need to be asked about the role of Saurabh Tiwary and Mohammad Kaif in the lower middle order.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team Selector.

In the spotlight

In Bangalore’s previous game, a television commentator requested Virat Kohli to smile more often than he swears and frowns. Kohli promised to do so, but less than an hour later he was back to his swearing best, when a fielder fumbled off his bowling. Regardless of his demeanour, Kohli’s batting has put a smile on his fans’ faces in the last couple of years. Bangalore coach Ray Jennings says being passionate and fiery is an innate part of Kohli’s personality, and that should not be meddled with. Yet, tantrums don’t sit well with someone touted as a future India captain.Like Kohli, Rohit Sharma is another upcoming batsman whose attitude has come under more scrutiny than his ability. If temper is Kohli’s problem, Rohit’s is temperament. Rohit’s woes were best captured by his shocking run-out in the eliminator against Kolkata. In moments such as those, it is tough to believe that Rohit is completely switched on at all times when he is on the field. He will be watched closely in the remainder of the IPL, and when he gets his opportunity in the West Indies.

Prime numbers

• Franklin, Blizzard and Harbhajan Singh have better strike-rates than the more celebrated batsmen in the Mumbai line-up – Sachin Tendulkar, Ambati Rayudu, Rohit, Pollard and Symonds
• Tendulkar has hit more fours (60) than anyone else this season. Kohli is third on the list with 54.
• Gayle has smashed 39 sixes so far this season, well ahead of MS Dhoni, who is second with 21
  

  The chatter

  “Ambati Rayudu is a youngster and you let him react the way he does. He will mature. You just let him be. Harbhajan Singh has also always been aggressive. We have had characters in tennis like McEnroe … We need characters like that in cricket.”
  .

Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, has said it is up to the hosts to force a result in the second Test with India

Sriram Veera at the Kensington Oval02-Jul-2011Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, has said it is up to the hosts to force a result in the second Test, since India are ahead 1-0 in the series and hence may not chase a victory. India led by 240 runs with seven wickets remaining at the end of the fourth day, and though Gibson said West Indies would aim to bowl India out on the fifth day, he also had some hope that West Indies’ frailties with the bat through the series may actually encourage India to make a daring declaration.”We need to hope to bowl them out and see if there is a possibility of a run-chase,” Gibson said. “The way we have batted, they might still think they can win the match and give us an opportunity.”If they are generous, they might give us a target. It could be an interesting last day. We bowled them out for 200 in the first innings and couldn’t get those runs in our innings. They might think they have enough. We tried to chase 300 in Jamaica and though we fell short by 63 runs we did well at the start of that chase. We’ve got to believe that our batsmen will come good at some point. If there is a chase tomorrow the batsmen might be spurred to perform.”The opener Lendl Simmons’ performance has come in for criticism. In 13 innings since his Test debut in March 2009, Simmons has failed to score a half-century and averages 16.38. Ian Bishop, the former West Indies fast bowler and currently a commentator, said Simmons isn’t Test material yet. Gibson, however, backed him. “He is one guy who works very hard at his cricket.Lendl Simmons hasn’t scored a half-century in 13 Test innings•AFP

“You don’t want to single out an individual in a batting order that is not performing. Everyone is encouraged to play their natural game. Simmons is an attacking batsman and has got the freedom to play that game and the liberty to smash his way through the new ball. He did that in Jamaica. We don’t restrict him.”Gibson said Simmons was restraining himself against the new ball. “You’ve got to give credit to Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar for the way they’ve bowled with the new ball. Simmons needs to free himself up and have a go at it a bit more. It’s difficult to single out Simmons. He has got good starts but hasn’t gone on. It’s the hallmark of our batsmen at the moment. They get starts but don’t go on.”In a game marred by rain delays, the fourth day was largely unaffected with 83.2 overs being bowled. Though India consolidated their advantage, Gibson praised his bowlers for keeping the batsmen in check and defended the decision to opt against the second new ball when it was due.”The plan the captain employed was the right one. We are behind the game at the moment. Every time we’ve taken the second new ball, in the Pakistan series and here, it’s been with tired bowlers and the opposition have made quick runs against us. To not let them get away too far from us was a good job. They have to bat again tomorrow, which means we have taken some time out of the game.”For the umpteenth time, Gibson was asked why West Indies had left out Kemar Roach and, as ever, he defended the decision to go in with four bowlers and called on his batsmen to step up. “Our batsmen are not giving the bowlers enough time to rest. We have shown, with our four bowlers, we can be a potent attack. We bowled Pakistan and India out twice. We just need our batsmen to back them up.”We have changed from being a team that never used to bowl out oppositions and lacked energy. We just need our batsmen to come good. Then we can be a competitive unit.”

MS Dhoni has been fined 60% of his match fee as India maintained a slow over-rate in the second Test against West Indies in Barbados

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2011MS Dhoni has been fined 60% of his match fee, while the rest of the team lost 30% of their fees as India maintained a slow over-rate in the second Test against West Indies in Bridgetown. Match referee Chris Broad imposed the fines after ruling that India finished three overs short of their target.The ICC code of conduct stipulates that the team’s captain should be fined 20% of his match fee for every over the side fails to bowl, double what other players in the XI lose. Three offences in the same format of the game within a 12-month period will lead to an immediate suspension of the captain from the next match in that format.This is Dhoni’s second over-rate fine in Tests this year, having been docked 60% of his match fee after the Cape Town Test against South Africa in January. If he is pulled up one more time in any Test till the first week of January 2012, he will miss the subsequent Test India play.The Barbados Test ended in a draw, after rain and then bad light held up play to leave India three wickets away from victory and West Indies 79 short of the target. India lead the series 1-0 with one Test remaining. The final Test starts in Dominica on July 6.

England Under-19s scrapped hard to level the series against South Africa Under-19s with a four-wicket win in a low-scoring encounter at Northampton

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Adam Ball’s 42 from 47 balls helped his side level the series•Getty Images

England Under-19s scrapped hard to level the series against South Africa Under-19s with a four-wicket win in a low-scoring encounter at Northampton.England’s bowlers fought back to restrict South Africa to 219 after the tourists had reached 121 for 1 and in pursuit the batsmen battled from 9 for 2 to reach the target with 23 balls to spare. Aneesh Kapil was the star with the ball, taking four for 36 on his debut, while Daniel Bell-Drummond led the way again with the bat, making 68 to set up the chase.Bell-Drummond and Sam Wood steadied England after the two early wickets with a stand of 90 before Wood was caught behind off Prenelan Subrayen for 42. A short rain break interrupted Bell-Drummond’s progress after he reached his half-century from 71 balls, and he was stumped shortly after the delay. His 68 included seven fours and a six and followed on from his classy 86 in a losing cause the game before.Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes and captain Adam Ball ensured Bell-Drummond would get the right result this time, adding 73 in 12.3 overs to all but take England over the finish line. Though they fell in quick succession, Kapil and Jamie Overton saw England home with plenty of time to spare.It was a disappointment for the tourists after they had looked so well placed on the back of Quinton de Kock and Shaylin Pillay’s 73-run second-wicket stand. de Kock advanced to a sprightly 69 from 83 balls before he was bowled by Wood.Wickets tumbled thereafter and though Pillay tried to drop anchor he was finally removed by Reece Topley for 47 and the tail was wiped out by Kapil, who earned three of his four wickets by hitting the stumps.

South Africa’s domestic limited-overs competition has been changed to bring it in line with international one-day cricket

Firdose Moonda20-Aug-2011South Africa’s domestic limited-overs competition has been changed to bring it in line with international one-day cricket. The tournament, which was a 40-over event for the last two seasons, will now be a 50-over competition in a bid to prepare for the 2015 World Cup. The decision was taken at Cricket South Africa’s annual general meeting in Port Elizabeth on Saturday on the advice of the cricket committee.”The conditions will be identical to those for ODIs to prepare our players better for international competition,” Gerald Majola, CSA chief executive said. “That should help us to win that elusive ICC limited overs trophy.”In April, after South Africa crashed out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage, convenor of selectors, Andrew Hudson indicated to ESPNcricinfo that the domestic structure would be changed in order to better prepare the national team for major tournaments. Two months later, CSA announced that the competition would revert back to a 45-over game, as it had been from the 1995-6 season until 2009-10. Now, CSA have decided to replicate the ODI format exactly, in an attempt to win a first World Cup trophy.South Africa’s limited-overs competition had undergone many changes in the past two decades, often with the view to copy innovations in the international game. In the 2005-06 season, when the ICC was experimenting with the use of a “super-sub” and Powerplays, South Africa followed suit. With thoughts of 50-over cricket becoming a thing of the past, the competition was reduced to 40 overs and three Powerplays were added. With the anticipated change in ODIs coming to nothing, CSA are going back to the traditional limited-overs form of the game.The new competition is without a sponsor after mobile telephone operator MTN, who backed the tournament from the 2006-07 season, pulled out of cricket. A sponsor is expected to be announced in the next month.