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Cricket will take another step towards a new era next week when Kent and Glamorgan stage their County Championship match under floodlights

Andrew McGlashan11-Sep-2011Cricket will take another step towards a new era next week when Kent and Glamorgan stage their County Championship match under floodlights with the pink ball in the latest part of trials to see whether the format is viable for first-class and Test matches.While reaction to the experiment has been mixed – and spectators could well end up huddled under blankets with a Thermos – Gary Keedy, the Lancashire spinner, who was part of the MCC match against Nottinghamshire in Abu Dhabi when the same format was used in March, believes the proposals have a future.”The game in Abu Dhabi for me was a total success,” Keedy told ESPNcricinfo. “I support the experiment and whether it works in this country only time will tell. I wouldn’t want to play a competitive match until a few games had been played and everyone was happy with the outcome. I’m not saying Kent-Glamorgan won’t be competitive but it will be the ideal time to try it out.”My experience is that if you give it enough chances – and it will probably take more than one or two games to find out – that it can be a success. There is arguably a tough period at twilight where the transition from light to dark can be difficult, but we’ve all played under floodlights and we can all bat under floodlights, we are not strangers to that any more.”Although Keedy’s primary role is with the ball he did have a chance to experience conditions with the bat in Abu Dhabi and didn’t think they would be too tough to overcome. “I actually had a chance in the twilight period. It’s like anything, once you adapt to conditions everything becomes easier. To start with you have to get used to picking the ball up, seeing the shadows and once you get through that it’s just like batting as normal.”The Championship game at Canterbury is set to be played using a pink Tiflex ball – the manufacturer that has provided balls for Division Two – but in the longer term Keedy suggests that the Duke brand may be the best solution if a pink version can be produced because he has found that ball lasts longest. One of the main concerns about the coloured ball for first-class cricket is whether it will stay in decent condition for 80 overs.”The white Kookaburra scuffs up quite quickly and can go from pink to brown, depending on the surface, but if they are prepared to change the ball that could be a solution,” Keedy said. “I actually find it easier to bowl with a brand-new Kookaburra than I do a brand-new Dukes, whether it’s the seam or lacquer I don’t know. So, for me, a pink Kookaburra is certainly easier to bowl with but it’s one of those things that we won’t know until we try it.”Despite the floodlit experiment now arriving in county cricket the English game is probably the least likely market for the format in the future, partly because of the climate and also because international crowds – which is the ultimate reason for the idea of floodlit Tests – are still healthy in England.”The one thing you’ll get by playing in September is you know it will be dark whereas if you tried it earlier in the summer you’d barely need the floodlights so it would defeat the objective,” Keedy said. “In the subcontinent it’s dark at six so it works brilliantly. If you are playing mid-June in a floodlit game [in England] you could be playing at 9 o’clock and not need the lights.”

Stuart Broad has revealed there is “bad news” about the extent of the injury he picked up in against India, at Lord’s, on Sunday although exact details were still to be confirmed

Andrew McGlashan11-Sep-2011Stuart Broad has been ruled out of the remainder of England’s home season, as well as the five-match ODI series in India next month, after sustaining a muscle tear to his right shoulder. He suffered the injury while bowling during the tied fourth ODI at Lord’s on Sunday, and will now miss both the final match in Cardiff next Friday, and the two Twenty20s against West Indies, which he was due to captain.ECB chief medical officer, Dr Nick Peirce, said: “Stuart has a muscle tear within his shoulder and will require an initial period of rest and rehabilitation. Exact timescales will be determined in due course but he is likely to be ruled out of cricket for a number of weeks.”If his recovery goes to plan, there is a chance Broad could be fit to join the England squad and resume his captaincy duties for the one-off Twenty20 against India in Kolkata on October 29.Broad had earlier revealed there was “bad news” about the extent of the injury he picked up two balls into his final over of the Lord’s ODI. “Bad news on the shoulder, torn a muscle, I know which one, just can’t spell it. Gutted,” he posted on Twitter. He was subsequently dosed up on painkillers and ready to bat at No.11 if needed during England’s chase, which was ended seven balls early by rain.With Morgan, England’s Twenty20 vice-captain, sidelined due to a shoulder injury there is no obvious replacement for Broad as captain. One option would be to give the job to the 50-over captain, Alastair Cook, but he refused to think too far ahead, saying, “We’ll cross all those bridges when they arrive.”The fact that the one-day series is now safe for England takes pressure off the final match at Cardiff on Friday. Jade Dernbach was left out at Lord’s – England played Steven Finn instead – so he would be the logical replacement for Broad in Cardiff. However, the pitch can favour spin so it may be an opportunity to give Samit Patel another outing before the Twenty20s against West Indies and the tour to India.England have had been hit by far fewer injuries than India during the Test and one-day series, but had to contend with some problems nonetheless. Chris Tremlett (back) missed three Tests and Jonathan Trott (shoulder) two, while Morgan was ruled out of action following the first one-day international at Chester-le-Street.For Broad, meanwhile, it adds to an injury-hit 10 months which included the stomach strain that ruled him out of the final three Ashes Tests in Australia, and the rib injury which ended his World Cup campaign. He had been dropped from the one-day side after a lacklustre first half of the English summer against Sri Lanka, but enjoyed a superb second half to the season which included a Man of the Series performance in the 4-0 Test whitewash against India.

The 2012 IPL will be the longest edition of the tournament yet and will clash with a number of international tours, most notably Australia’s tour of West Indies in April and West Indies tour of England in May

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2011The 2012 IPL will be the longest edition of the tournament yet and will clash with a number of international tours, most notably Australia’s tour of West Indies in April and West Indies tour of England in May. Pakistan are also scheduled to play international cricket during the event, which will be played from April 4 to May 27, but their players have not been part of the IPL since the inaugural tournament in 2008.The BCCI approved the dates of the tournament on Friday and West Indies, with their traditional home season falling in March and April, will once again have to find a way of coping without players who want to play in the lucrative Twenty20 league. According to the ICC’s Future Tours Programme, West Indies host Australia for three Tests and five ODIs in March and April, before heading to England to play three Tests, three ODIs and a T20I in May and June.Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle, who starred for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2011 IPL, and allrounders Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo were given No Objection Certificates by the West Indies Cricket Board to play in the tournament this year. Pollard missed the ODI series against Pakistan while Bravo missed the Tests to turn out for their IPL franchises Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. The Gayle situation is further exacerbated because he is involved in a standoff with the board over his decisions to play domestic T20 events around the globe, and has not played for West Indies since the World Cup.The Australia players who have IPL deals will be free to join the league mid-way, as they did this year after their ODI series against Bangladesh. However, England’s players will once again find themselves at odds with the IPL, since the West Indies series starts on May 1. That could discourage franchises from bidding for players from England, should they be part of a player auction next year.Pakistan are scheduled to welcome Bangladesh in April and May for two Tests and three ODIs, after which they are due to tour Sri Lanka for three Tests, five one-dayers and two T20Is. Pakistan’s visit would require Sri Lanka’s international players to leave the IPL early, something that became a contentious issue in 2011 for Sri Lanka’s tour of England.

ESPNcricinfo previews the third Test between India and West Indies in Mumbai

The Preview by Sidharth Monga21-Nov-2011

Match facts

Tuesday, November 22
Start time 0930 (0400 GMT)Can Darren Sammy’s side avoid losing 3-0?•AFP

Big Picture

Not counting two-Test flings, India have whitewashed only two series. It’s a surprising statistic given how progressively difficult India have become to defeat at home. Only South Africa have beaten India in a Test at home in more than five years, yet a whitewash has hardly ever been a thought in recent times. A mix of flat tracks and slow starts has denied India absolute domination even while being kings of their castle.In this series against West Indies, though, India overcame the slow start in Delhi and the flat track in Kolkata. They now stand on the cusp of that elusive whitewash, just like they did in 2002-03 against the same opponents, the last time India went into the last Test with the possibility of a clean sweep. India fell behind in that Eden Gardens Test back then, and Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman forced a draw on the final day. They won’t want to leave the job unfinished this time.When West Indies went to Pakistan in 1997-98, they had been whitewashed only once, that too in their first series, back in 1928. In less than 14 years since that Pakistan tour, they have added six to that tally. Times have been desperate, but West Indies have gone six years without getting whitewashed. They will need their best cricket to avoid another.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
India WWLLL
West Indies LLWDD

Watch out for…

Darren Bravo has obvious talent to match the Brian Lara mannerisms. It was well advertised that his century in Kolkata, Bravo’s 12th Test, left him with an identical run aggregate and average as Lara had after 12 Tests. In his 13th, Lara scored 167 off 210 balls to set up an innings win.As a partnership, India’s openers have provided solid enough starts this series, but neither Virender Sehwag nor Gautam Gambhir has scored a century this year. They have both fought injuries: Sehwag has played five of India’s 10 Tests this year, Gambhir six. They can both do with innings that make them feel good ahead of the tour of Australia.

Pitch and conditions

Wankhede usually provides fair tracks that make for exciting cricket. The red soil provides good bounce, liked by fast bowlers, spinners and shot-makers. The outfield is quick too. The Mumbai “winter” is kicking in, which merely means slightly nippy mornings and nights, and mid-30 temperatures during the day. Rain, clouds and bad light are not likely to affect the Test. This is the ground’s first Test since renovation for the 2011 World Cup.

Team news

India have dropped Yuvraj Singh, and barring any injuries Virat Kohli should be back for his fourth Test, all against West Indies. Feeling “sluggish”, MS Dhoni chose to give the pre-match training a miss, but the team management was confident he would play. Also, do India want to have a look at Varun Aaron before they go to Australia?

India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Virat Kohli, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Ishant Sharma/Varun Aaron, 10 Pragyan Ojha, 11 Umesh YadavWest Indies have had an injury scare, but expect Shivnarine Chanderpaul to play despite a strained calf muscle. He did not practise on the eve of the match, though. Ravi Rampaul will have recovered from his stomach bug, and could replace Kemar Roach. The batting has been a worry, but there isn’t much West Indies can do other than shuffle the order and separate the inexperienced top three.West Indies (probable) 1 Adrian Barath, 2 Kraigg Brathwaite, 3 Kirk Edwards, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Marlon Samuels, 7 Darren Sammy (capt), 8 Carlton Baugh (wk), 9 Ravi Rampaul/Kemar Roach, 10 Fidel Edwards, 11 Devendra Bishoo

Stats and trivia

• Rahul Dravid needs 21 runs to become the second man to reach 13,000 Test runs. With five centuries this year, he has matched his best year, 2002.
• Sehwag needs 117 to become the 23rd batsman to reach 8000 runs. If Sehwag gets there in his next innings, he will be fourth-fastest to the mark. If he takes between two and five innings, he will be the fifth-fastest. Two more sixes, and he will become the second-highest six-hitter, behind only Adam Gilchrist. He is currently level with Chris Cairns on 87 sixes.
• Chanderpaul holds many records, but in Kolkata he reached one that will hurt him on more than one count. He is now part of 64 Test losses, more than anybody. He broke former team-mate Lara’s record. Chanderpaul is not likely to get rid of this dubious distinction anytime soon: the next current player on the list is Tendulkar, who has been part of 50 defeats.

Quotes

“We would like to definitely win the series 3-0, that’s our target. We would like to concentrate on the process and, if we end up winning the match, it will be great for us.”
.”We are monitoring the situation to see if he could make it tomorrow. Given the experienced player that he is we will take a call tomorrow.”
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Damien Wright, the New Zealand bowling coach, has said that New Zealand have to bowl really well on the fourth morning if they are to have a chance of winning the Test

Brydon Coverdale at the Bellerive Oval11-Dec-2011Damien Wright, the New Zealand bowling coach, knows Bellerive Oval intimately. As the leading first-class wicket-taker at the venue, he is well aware of how hard it is for batsmen in the morning. Six wickets fell before lunch on each of the first two days, and seven in the opening session on the third day. New Zealand need a similar start on Monday if they are to win a Test in Australia for the first time since 1985.After they closed the second day in a strong position thanks to outstanding bowling from Chris Martin, Trent Boult and Doug Bracewell, New Zealand lost their advantage on Sunday. They set Australia 241 for victory, a challenging but not unreachable target, and then struggled to find the same rhythm with the ball that they had in the first innings, leaving Australia at 0 for 72.”We have to turn up tomorrow and start really well with the ball,” Wright said. “There’s been a little bit of assistance in the wicket throughout the game. We know that’s going to be there in the morning. Bellerive traditionally over the years always offers a little bit in the morning. It’s really important for us to come tomorrow and break this partnership, to start with, and take early wickets. There’s a little bit of variable bounce and we’re hoping that plays a part in the morning.”The guys bowled really, really well [in the first innings]. All four of them did a great job. Unfortunately in this innings we certainly haven’t started the way we would have like to. We’ve been a bit off our lengths and overpitched a little bit. We need to look at the stuff that we did in the first innings and stick to that plan. Hopefully in the morning the guys can come and do that.”In the first innings, New Zealand rarely sent down a bad delivery, building the pressure with accuracy, swing and seam movement. Especially professional was the way Martin bowled to plan against Phillip Hughes, who has struggled with the ball moving across him and has edged to the cordon three times already in the series.On day three, Martin didn’t quite find the right spot to Hughes, often bowling too straight or too full; a few more cuttable balls might have tested Hughes more. But things won’t get any easier for Australia’s openers in the morning after two ball changes late in the day due to the Kookaburras losing their shape: the one that New Zealand ended up with swung more than either of the others.”They had to change a couple up in Brisbane in the first Test as well,” Wright said. “Generally the Kookaburra ball is a good ball. I think conditions out there were just a bit wet and maybe the ball got a bit damp and maybe went out of shape a little bit. There were no complaints about the cricket balls. But this one is swinging, so let’s hope we keep this one.”Only 53.3 overs were bowled on the third day due to rain, but those overs that were completed couldn’t have gone much better for Australia. Kane Williamson fell early in the day and New Zealand lost their final seven wickets for 87 runs, Peter Siddle and James Pattinson finishing with three wickets each, while Nathan Lyon also picked up three when he ran through the tail.”We came feeling that we were in front in the game,” Wright said. “For us it was important to build a substantial lead and make Australia chase anything from 280-plus. We’ve got 240 and that’s not saying we don’t feel confident that we can defend that, but we just haven’t started well enough with the ball.”Australia’s vice-captain Brad Haddin described the efforts of Siddle in the first session as “world-class”. He said Australia had been intent on building pressure on New Zealand early in order to break into the lower order, and by the close of the day Australia found themselves in a strong position to push for victory.”Day three is always a massive day in a Test match,” Haddin said. “I thought the way we presented ourselves in the first session was world-class after being a bit flat going into the last session yesterday. I thought what we did with the ball was top shelf and we spoke about the first 10 to 15 overs out there batting, it is tough work and I think the guys did a fantastic job to get us into the position we did.”

England’s batting has been so ineffably weak in this Test series that even the sight of a Pakistan side bundled out for 99 was not about to fill them with resolve

The Report by David Hopps03-Feb-2012

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKevin Pietersen looked confident before falling again to left-arm spin, Abdur Rehman trapping him lbw for 32•Getty Images

England’s batting has been so ineffably weak in this Test series that even the sight of a Pakistan side bundled out for 99 was not about to fill them with resolve. Where once they were steadfast now they are overwrought. All logic suggested they should have ended the opening day of the third Test in a position of authority but logic left this series long ago.It is the first time that Test cricket has been played in winter in the UAE and the pitches have been enlivened from their usual moribund state as a result but not remotely to the extent that the scores suggest. Every day brings something more bizarre. This should not by any stretch of the imagination have been a 16-wicket day.Pakistan avoided their lowest Test score against England thanks only to 45 from Asad Shafiq, the one batsman to pass muster as England’s new-ball pair, Stuart Broad and James Anderson, made full use of encouraging conditions. Pakistan began the final Test imagining they could whitewash England in a Test series for the first time. It is quite something to be dismissed for fewer than 100 on a decent-enough surface and still be in the match.An England innings has become something fantastical. The DRS has sapped their resolve. It was introduced to reduce umpiring mistakes, and it has achieved its purpose, but in this series at least, it has shifted the balance of the game fundamentally. Umpires in this series are giving most marginal calls to the bowler, too many marginal calls. Batsmen are confused about their technique and spinners are bowling straight and imagining themselves as superheroes. It will right itself in time; the authorities are not fond of three-day Tests.This series has already produced more lbws than in any three-Test series in history – 35 and counting. There were eight umpiring reviews and the Australian Simon Taufel, who has mused about retirement more than once, had an uncomfortable day as he had several decisions overturned.Almost unnoticed, Andrew Strauss reached the close of a bewildering day unbeaten on 41, an England captain labouring to add a major batting contribution to his undoubted leadership qualities. Overlook a flirt with a sweep or two and he stood alongside Shafiq and Kevin Pietersen as the most secure batsmen on an insecure day.Memories of England’s batting debacles in the first two Tests must have preyed on Alastair Cook’s mind as he fell to the sort of hesitant jab against Umar Gul that Australia, in England’s victorious Ashes series barely a year ago, must have dreamed of. Gul also had Trott lbw: a dodgy decision by the umpire, Steve Davis, which England failed to review.Then came the curiosities. Kevin Pietersen looked in good trim but fell to left-arm spin once more, a marginal decision that might have been designed to taunt his pre-match assertion that his record against this type of bowler was “not a train crash”. Ian Bell was out to Saeed Ajmal for the fourth series, straying out of his crease and stumped fortuitously by Adnan Akmal off a blur of pads and gloves – that is how his brother Kamran used to do it. Eoin Morgan, his reputation as a good player of spin now in tatters, was trapped on the back foot by a quicker, flatter one. And finally Matt Prior, desperate not to be struck on the pads, was bowled by one that turned.Pakistan were no better. By drinks on the first morning, England had five Pakistan wickets; shortly after drinks came round again in the afternoon they had them all. This was far from a fast bowlers’ feast but Broad, England’s outstanding player of the series, and Anderson made full use of a little swing and some unexpected bounce.Broad’s new-ball return of 3 for 12 in six overs included two overturned decisions for Taufel as England successfully resorted to DRS. The dismissal of Mohammad Hafeez was the most controversial of the day.England were searching for a lbw decision but there seemed to be little conclusive evidence to overturn Taufel’s decision. Indeed those blessed with the eyes of a hawk and high-definition TVs insisted there was a slight mark on hot spot that should have reprieved Hafeez. Shavir Tarapore, the third umpire from India in his fourth Test, gave him out, causing Hafeez to slap his bat in unconcealed disgust.In the seconds a fielding side has to decide on a review, the captain, Andrew Strauss, mentally dons a business suit, calls a meeting, studies a report, draws conclusions and lays out a systematic process. The sense is of clipboards, posh pens and PowerPoint presentations. Misbah tries to do the same for Pakistan but he is a bit short of reliable middle management.In England in 2010, Pakistan collapsed for 72, 76 and 80, three batting disasters at Edgbaston, Lord’s and Trent Bridge that count among their eight lowest Test scores in history. They no longer had to contend with a surly English summer but they did face the debilitating effect of a series already secured.Their collapse began in the first over, Taufeeq Umar defeated by Anderson’s inswinger. There were few demons in the ball from Broad that dismissed Azhar and Younis Khan’s jab at a wide, rising ball, even allowing for the unexpected steepness of the bounce: another poor shot in a career nearing its end.Misbah and Adnan, who should also have been run out by Morgan, both turned to DRS without success to try to stem the flow of wickets. Rehman’s slog at Graeme Swann, in his solitary over, was the worst batting moment on a day replete with them. Shafiq was ninth out, trying to cut Panesar and getting struck on the pad in front of middle.For Pakistan the morning had brought back bad memories of their first Test in the UAE. Against Australia in Sharjah ten years ago they were dismissed for 53 and 59 – their two lowest Test scores. Misbah, Taufeeq and Younis were all in the top six then. In some ways little has changed in Pakistan cricket. In other, more significant ways, everything has changed.