ScorecardThere was no play possible on the second day of the match between South Africa A and Bangladesh A in Pietermaritzburg. South Africa A had worked themselves into a strong position at 233 for 2 on the first day, but will find it difficult to get a result out of the match now.
Jamaica have made it to the final, despite a relatively strong batting performance from Trinidad and Tobago in which they got to 448 for 9 in reply to Jamaica’s mammoth 664 in St Augustine, Trinidad. Jamaica’s made the cut, having taked the first-innings’ lead during the teams’ group-stage encounter in Kingston last month.Beginning day four on 198 for 4, T&T lost Denesh Ramdin to Andre Russell early, after he had added just five runs to his overnight score of 49. But captain Daren Ganga stayed on, getting to his 23rd first class ton. He was kept company by Kieron Pollard, who got 48 before being trapped lbw by David Bernard. Any hope Jamaica had of wrapping up the innings after the pair’s departure was thwarted by the No. 8 batsman Rayad Emrit, who scored unbeaten 113, and ensured the hosts were not bowled out. Russell was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 4 for 89.T&T, who finished second on the points table, a point ahead of Jamaica, are considering legal action after losing out on a place in the final, to Jamaica who finished fourth. According to the tournament rules, if semi-final games end in a no-result, the team which came out on top during the head-to-head clash in the preliminary round advances. But T&T manager Omar Khan said this had not been made clear. “There is still some misinterpretation concerning the rule pertaining to advancing to the finals,” Khan said. “We find it very unfair. What is the reward of playing consistent cricket all season then?”
| Teams | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | Aban | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combined Campuses and Colleges | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 57 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 52 |
| England Lions | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 51 |
| Jamaica | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 51 |
| Windward Islands | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 |
| Barbados | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 27 |
| Leeward Islands | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 |
| Guyana | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
Ramnaresh Sarwan, the West Indies batsman, has said he is happy to return to the national fold after being named in the 15-man squad for the World Cup, and is keen to hit form during the ODI series against Sri Lanka starting on January 31. Sarwan last played for West Indies in the ODI series at home against South Africa in May and June 2010. He was subsequently dropped due to fitness issues and indifferent form on the domestic circuit. He also wasn’t offered a West Indies central contract.”It feels really great to be back,” Sarwan said in Colombo. “We had a really good workout today and so far I am just happy to fit into the team again. We have a very good team vibe going and it is very important that we maintain that and build on that. It is also important that we get off to a good start in this series and try to get that early momentum.”West Indies play three ODIs on their tour of Sri Lanka. The series was postponed because of poor weather during West Indies’ tour late last year, with the Test series being marred by persistent rain. The matches during the ODI series were initially scheduled to be held in Hambantota and the renovated Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, two of the three Sri Lankan venues for the World Cup, but the ICC didn’t permit the venues to be used for international games just prior to the quadrennial event. Instead, all three ODIs will be played at the SSC.”The pitch at the SSC is normally a good one for batting,” Sarwan said. “I have done well here (in Sri Lanka in Tests) before. I am just hoping to maintain the same level of success I have had before, make a major contribution to the team, and try to bat us into winning positions.””The greatest dream is to win the World Cup for all the people of the Caribbean and all those around the world who support us. We have to give Darren (Sammy) our full support. Obviously, he is still a bit new to the job as captain so it is important that he gets our full backing. We need to be consistent as a team and that would give us a really good chance of winning.”West Indies and Sri Lanka have, unsurprisingly, picked their World Cup squad for the three-match series.
Chaminda Vaas, the Sri Lankan medium-pacer, has said he’s contemplating international retirement after failing to make the World Cup squad. Vaas, who is two weeks away from his 37th birthday, retired from Tests in 2009 and hasn’t played internationals limited-overs in two-and-a-half years.He had repeatedly stated that his goal was to play in the 2011 World Cup, and was included in the preliminary 30-man squad for the tournament but left out of the final list.”I tried my best, but my performances have not been good enough to get me selected,” Vaas told the . “I wish the team very good luck and hope they bring the World Cup back to Sri Lanka again.”Vaas has been among the wickets for Colts Cricket Club in the Sri Lankan domestic one-dayers, taking eight in three matches at an average of 7.13 over the past week. He also had a great run in the Friends Provident t20 series for Northamptonshire, taking 23 wickets at 15.82 and a miserly economy-rate of 6.33. He turned in several match-turning performances in the IPL for Deccan Chargers in 2010, but they were not enough to earn him a contract at last weekend’s auction in Bangalore.”I haven’t finally decided, but I will make my mind up after the World Cup whether to retire from international matches.”Vaas and Sanath Jayasuriya, another winner of the 1996 World Cup, were left out of the World Cup squad by a selection panel headed by Aravinda de Silva, the Man of the Match in the semi-final and final when Sri Lanka became champions in 1996.Vaas is widely regarded as Sri Lanka’s finest ever fast bowler, having taken 355 Test wickets and 400 in ODIs.
Shane Warne has said he is “flattered” at all the talk of a possible comeback to help Australia’s struggling bowling attack and stopped short of completely ruling out a return even though it would be a huge admission of the team’s current failings.Warne has arrived in London on a promotional trip for his new chat show and was greeted at Heathrow Airport by photographers and reporters who were only interested in one topic. “Just landed in London it’s freezing and was welcomed by press and photographers asking am I making a comeback? What have I missed ?,” he posted on his Twitter feed.Earlier, his column made a brief mention of the debate in Australia, which has led the creation of a fund and a website – bringbackwarne.com – that is aiming to raise enough money to bring Warne out of retirement. “We offer the Rescue Fund to the King of Spin,” the website says, “pleading with him once again to don the baggy green and attempt us to win back the Ashes.””There has been a bit written in Australia and people have been asking me about making a comeback,” Warne wrote in the newspaper. “All I can say is that it is very flattering to hear those words.”However, he preferred to look at what options Australia could take among their current players. It is almost certain that Xavier Doherty won’t be retained after taking three wickets in his first two Tests and being punished by the England batsmen.”Do they opt for Nathan Hauritz or a wrist-spinner like Steve Smith?”, Warne wrote. “Do they play two spinners or none at all and prepare a green, grassy wicket in Perth? That would be a big gamble against England’s seam attack.”The pitch is not fast and bouncy these days, so maybe you get a local guy who knows the Perth conditions, like left-arm spinner Michael Beer. Sometimes horses for courses works. Australia have to explore all options and win this next match to get back into the series. They need to look at all avenues and go all out for a win.”Beer, 26, has taken 16 first-class wickets in five matches at 39.93. He played against England in their opening tour match at Perth and claimed 5 for 207 but conceded runs at five per over.Hauritz is favoured for a recall, and hit a hundred as nightwatchman for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match against South Australia having gone wicketless in his first innings. However, in his previous Shield match, against Western Australia at the WACA, he took a five-wicket haul.”Whenever you’re dropped you are always looking to perform well,” Hauritz said. “I’ve been lucky enough to take some wickets and score some runs but the job’s only halfway done. I was dropped for not doing my role in the side. I’ve got to go back to first-class cricket and prove I can do that and restore the faith in the selectors and the captain. If you’re taking wickets, scoring runs and playing the role they want you’re put in their faces.”Meanwhile, back in Melbourne, England’s wicketkeeper, Matt Prior, admitted he was bemused by the rumours. “I’ve absolutely no idea what’s going on,” he said. “I don’t read the press, I don’t hear anything, I don’t listen to any of it. If he’s going to come back, great. If he’s not, who knows? Whoever comes into their team we’ll have to look at, process, work out how we’re going to play against them like any other player, whether it be Shane Warne, Merv Hughes or anyone else. We’d look at them, the video footage and respect them like any other cricketers, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
Xavier Doherty is set for his ODI debut•Getty Images
Wednesday, November 3, Melbourne
Start time 14.20 local (03.20 GMT)
Sri Lanka’s victory in the Twenty20 has given Australia plenty to think about. They haven’t won an international match since the Lord’s Test against Pakistan in July and, while they will claim their focus is on winning this series, as much as anything that is for the momentum that it would give their Ashes campaign. Ricky Ponting, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz and an out-of-form and under-pressure Michael Hussey are back in the squad, which features the majority of the men likely to take the field in the Gabba Test, although Ponting and Hauritz won’t play in this one-day series opener.”If you look at it that way, since July, it looks like a long time,” Ponting said of the losing streak. “It’s only a few games, really. There’s no sugar-coating anything, we know we’ve got some work to do. It’s really important that we do start getting that winning feeling back around the group again. There’s no doubt that it’s always a different feeling around the change rooms when you are winning games of cricket. We have to start that off pretty soon, and hopefully that’s tomorrow.”Sri Lanka have never won a series in Australia and if they can carry their Twenty20 form in to the ODI arena, this could be their best chance yet of breaking that record. They are also planning ahead to the World Cup, which will partly be held in their own country starting next February. Last time they co-hosted the World Cup they emerged as the champions, and they deserve to be among the favourites in 2011. Following this tour they head back to Sri Lanka for a Test series against West Indies, so they too are hoping to build momentum heading in to a home series.The other question is whether anybody will turn up to the match. Many Victorians have already taken an extra long weekend due to Tuesday’s public holiday for the iconic Melbourne Cup horse race, and asking the public to back up immediately and attend another day of elite sport is ambitious.
(most recent first)
Australia LWWLL
Sri Lanka WWLWL
On Sunday, Peter Siddle played his first international match since January. It was a promising comeback for Siddle, who had sat out for nearly nine months due to stress fractures in his back. His recovery was geared towards making him available for the Ashes but to break back in to the side he needs to perform at every opportunity. If he plays on Wednesday, it will be his first one-day international at his home ground, the MCG.Thisara Perera bowled well in the Twenty20 in Perth, where his 2 for 22 from four overs helped restrict Australia. But the hosts will be equally concerned about his batting, even though he faced only four balls. Perera came out towards the end of the chase and his scorebook read 1, 6, 4, 6. He monstered Steven Smith over long-on twice to confirm the victory, and if he gets the chance to spend five overs at the crease, he could do some serious damage.
Ponting will be in Launceston on Wednesday for the funeral of his grandmother, so Michael Clarke will remain in charge after leading Australia to defeat in Sunday’s Twenty20 at the WACA. On Tuesday, Nathan Hauritz had not yet joined the squad following his Sheffield Shield performance over the past couple of days, so the Tasmanian spinner Xavier Doherty is in line to make his international debut. Michael Hussey and Mitchell Johnson are back after missing the T20, while there are plenty of bowling options, with Johnson, Clint McKay, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc and John Hastings all in the squad. Brad Haddin will play his first ODI since March and could be back near the top of the order.Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Shaun Marsh, 3 Brad Haddin (wk), 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Cameron White, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Steven Smith, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 John Hastings, 10 Xavier Doherty, 11 Peter Siddle.Kumar Sangakkara confirmed that Sri Lanka will open with Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan, and that Muttiah Muralitharan would take his place in the side for his first ODI since June. On an MCG pitch that could be affected by rain, that might make it difficult for Suraj Randiv to squeeze in as a second spinner, despite being the Man of the Match in Sunday’s Twenty20 triumph.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Mahela Jayawardene, 4 Kumar Sangakkara (capt, wk), 5 Chamara Kapugedera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Chamara Silva, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekera, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Lasith Malinga.
Australia’s training session on Tuesday was interrupted by rain and isolated showers are forecast for Wednesday. The drop-in pitches at the MCG can be a little on the slow side, so don’t expect the pace and bounce seen at the WACA on Sunday.
“If we start winning games of cricket again, the whole atmosphere and attitude around the team changes. We’ll worry about the Ashes when that comes.”
“A player of Ricky’s calibre not being in the side is a huge blow. He’s one of the best batsmen of the last two decades.”
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Surrey’s off-field staff could face redundancies as the club streamlines its structures in an attempt to plug a budget deficit and deal with reduced revenues from ticket sales. “We want to get the club structured so we can cope for what we expect to be much worse times next year,” chief executive Paul Sheldon told . “This is in keeping with a global response to difficult times.”The news comes with the England & Wales Cricket Board expected to endorse plans to cut the number of group games in next year’s domestic Twenty20 competition from 16 to 10, with counties divided in three groups as opposed to this year’s two, at its meeting on Wednesday. Most counties faced lower attendances at individual games this summer and there was widespread dissatisfaction among players at the amount of fixtures on the domestic schedule.”Two summers ago we played 10 group games, five home and five away. That worked very well,” said Sheldon. “This summer we increased the number of games and the same number of people came to watch eight home matches as came to watch five. We’ve spread the audience across the board and I hope we learn from that.”Last year we had the Ashes, which was a fantastic experience and made us a lot of money,” said Sheldon. This summer was the first time for 25 years that our Test match has not sold out and it is my responsibility as chief executive of the business to make sure that we react to that.”
Former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson believes Misbah-ul-Haq has the “best cricket brain” in Pakistan and is well-placed to handle the Test captaincy, surprisingly handed to the 36-year-old last week.Misbah was thought to be out of national reckoning when he wasn’t picked for the Asia Cup or the tour to England earlier this year. But a disastrous sequence of captaincy appointments left the board, in their own words, with little choice.Lawson is well-placed having been coach during Misbah’s return to international cricket three years ago during the 2007 World T20, a tournament which he nearly won for Pakistan. That sparked the most productive phase of his career and it was in Lawson’s time, between 2007 and 2008, that he established himself in the middle order; in five Tests under Lawson, he averaged 78 with two hundreds and a fifty; he averaged 41 in 28 ODIs, and over 67 in the ten Twenty20s Pakistan played with Lawson in charge.Misbah was vice-captain to Shoaib Malik during that time and took over on one occasion, leading Pakistan to an ODI win over India in the 2008 Asia Cup in Karachi. “He definitely has the best cricket brain and intellect in Pakistan cricket,” Lawson told ESPNcricinfo. “He has a statesman-like demeanour which so many Pakistan captains have lacked and he handles adversity analytically not emotionally. He knows how to get the best out of players and he is a winner, note his outstanding domestic record as a leader.”Several former players, including Wasim Akram have expressed their surprise at the appointment. Mostly it stems from Misbah’s age – even though he is, for now, captain for only two Tests against South Africa – but also from his batting form.His comeback ended initially in September 2009, when he was dropped for poor form. He returned, however, during the subsequent tour of New Zealand and Australia at the insistence of Mohammad Yousuf, who was captain at the time.More disappointing returns on that tour formed part of a broader decline since Lawson’s departure. He averages 24 in nine Tests since Lawson left in October 2008, and 21 in 19 T20Is. An average of nearly 40 in 16 ODIs since then is not enough to assuage the concerns of some that he doesn’t command an automatic place in the XI.”He works very hard on his fitness and his cricket skills so physically he will be in good shape,” Lawson said. “The question is simply one of age and reactions. Has he got the sharpness to be productive at international level at 36? The captain leading or failing by example can have a significant effect on any team but especially Pakistan. He deserves this but Ideally he should have been captain six years ago.”
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Kieron Pollard smashed nine sixes on his way to a 30-ball 72•AFP
Kieron Pollard played the sort of innings that has made him a multi-millionaire and the game’s foremost Twenty20 freelancer to muscle Mumbai Indians to a victory that kept them alive in the Champions League. At a drizzly Kingsmead he hammered 72 off 30 to extract some revenge against Guyana, who knocked out his fancied home team Trinidad & Tobago in the semi-finals of the domestic Caribbean T20 tournament.Mumbai seemed to have lost their way a touch after a solid 82-run opening stand between Sachin Tendulkar and Shikhar Dhawan, but the decision to push Pollard to No. 3 worked wonders. Pollard’s nine sixes helped Mumbai loot 85 runs in the final five; Ambati Rayudu’s contribution in a partnership of 53 was four.Walking in at 82 for 1 in the 11th over, Pollard started slowly and watched Mumbai lose two wickets in the space of five deliveries. It was in the 16th over that he exploded, treating the Durban crowd to what seemed like extended highlights.Christopher Barnwell was his first victim as two contrasting sixes flew over midwicket – one a brutal hit and the other an effortless flick. Devendra Bishoo, the legspinner who prised out three wickets in his first three overs, then had his figures damaged by a 19-run over. The debutant Paul Wintz was next up, one of his deliveries sent soaring into the second tier of the stands beyond long-on.Esuan Crandon overpitched thrice in the 19th over and was dismissed each time over the leg side before Pollard capped the innings with a carefree clout over long-off. Guyana captain Ramnaresh Sarwan watched helplessly as the game slipped away, pursing his lips when Pollard started smashing the ball, then covering his face as the assault wore on.Guyana weren’t expecting such a tall target half-an-hour earlier when the Mumbai openers were around. Tendulkar made a substantial contribution but his batting lacked the usual grace. There were plenty of cross-batted heaves down the ground, and pulls from outside off. There were a few typical Tendulkar strokes too, like the stab in front of point off Crandon in the sixth over. At the other end, Dhawan was rarely troubled by the new-ball bowlers, who generally bowled a bit too short. He eased to 21 off 14, including a powerful pull over square leg for six, and Mumbai were at a comfortable 49 for 0 after the Powerplay.Instead of pushing on to the next gear, Mumbai’s scoring slackened against the gentle medium-pace of Crandon and Barnwell. After two quiet overs, Tendulkar’s batting started looking even more ungainly. He was dropped off successive deliveries in the ninth over – simple chances at long-on and deep square leg – and two overs later the ball just cleared short third man off an attempted mow to midwicket. He was finally dismissed after charging out and missing a short ball from Bishoo that turned past his attempted swipe towards wide long-on.Mumbai only added 17 off the next four overs to move to 99 for 3 after 15. At the same stage in their innings, Guyana were 14 ahead but the chase rarely looked convincing. Mumbai’s big-name bowlers were generous early on, half of Guyana’s first 26 runs coming off wides.Their openers fell cheaply, but Guyana’s most experienced batsmen, Sarwan and Narsingh Deonarine, kept battling with a 46-run partnership for the third wicket. Sarwan repeatedly played what has become his signature Twenty20 stroke – the flat-batted swat down the ground to make 48, but could never keep pace with the required rate.The rivalry between T&T and Guyana was most evident when Dwayne Bravo was bowling to Sarwan. In the 12th over, when Sarwan shaped for a big shot before deciding to not offer a stroke, Bravo gave him a mouthful, and there were more heated words between the pair at the end of the over.That was also when Guyana’s chances effectively ended as the asking-rate spiraled past 13. Their batsmen kept swinging but Guyana fell well short as no one was able to replicate Pollard’s fireworks, showing why his bank balance will get a big boost when the next IPL auction rolls around.
Shot of the day
Kevin Pietersen’s tortuous 80 was, by his own admission, among the scratchier Test innings he has ever compiled – so much so that, while he was pacing up and down the corridor during one of the day’s many rain breaks, he laughed: “Which match have you been watching, mate!” when a journalist suggested he was through the worst of it. Still, there was one cathartic moment in the midst of a torrid chance-riddled innings. On 47, he clipped Mohammad Amir exquisitely through the leg-side for four to bring up his half-century. It was arguably the best shot he has played since the World Twenty20 final.Trendsetter of the day
If Pakistan thought that a good night’s sleep might sharpen up their act, they were sorely mistaken when play resumed on day two. Pietersen had not added to his overnight 36 when, in the third over, Mohammad Amir zipped an offcutter back towards the stumps, and appealed for lbw as KP adjusted late. The decision was rightly turned down because of a fat inside-edge, but unfortunately Umar Amin in the gully was seemingly unaware of that line of enquiry. The ball looped invitingly towards his fingertips, but inexplicably he let the chance drop to earth without a care in the world.Golden arm of the day
Amin’s fielding may be woeful, but he is earning himself a very tidy reputation as a go-to partnership breaker. His military medium-pace may look pretty innocuous, but he does get some prodigious movement through the air, and it can prove a handful to a batsman who drops his guard. Take Jonathan Trott, for example, who had moved calmly along to 55, and looked odds-on to become the first Warwickshire batsman to make a Test hundred at Edgbaston. However, Amin mugged him via a chop to point, to claim his third wicket in four Tests. He’s never yet bowled more than six overs in any given innings.Rumpus of the day
By a conservative estimate, Pietersen survived three clear-cut catches in the course of his 147-ball stay, but the one opportunity that actually went to hand and stayed there turned out to be the main talking point of the day. On 41, and in the third over after lunch, Pietersen backed off late as Mohammad Asif hit his delivery stride, and patted a drive half-heartedly to cover. In the same instant, umpire Marais Erasmus signalled dead-ball, leaving all manner of questions to be answered by the rule-book. According to Law 23.3.b (v), Pietersen transgressed by playing a shot to negate the dead-ball, but according to Law 23.3.b (vi), he was within his rights to pull out if distracted. He later claimed the umpire had made the call before the ball had been bowled; Asif, on the other hand, denied hearing anything. All the same, compared to The Oval in 2006, it was a dispute that barely registered on the Richter Scale.Circus act of the day
Of all the chances that went down in the course of the day, none was quite as hideous as Salman Butt’s shelling of Graeme Swann at mid-off. Even Waqar Younis, on the dressing room balcony had no option but to burst out laughing as a degenerative fielding performance reached its absolute nadir. Everything about the moment smacked of the circus big top, as Swann flipped in his stance to play the switch hit – a shot, to be fair, that he has pulled off in the past. This time, however, he merely scooped the ball tamely to Pakistan’s captain (at a left-hander’s mid-on), but Butt let the dolly drop straight through his fingers. Ajmal, striving to reach his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests, was unimpressed to say the least.Ball of the day
Butt’s best attempts to lead his side from the front are crumbling before his – and everyone else’s – eyes. First came the dropped catch, then came the ten-ball duck that took his series tally to a sorry 16 runs from four innings. The ball that bagged him, however, was an absolute beaut, the sort that might have extracted Brian Lara in his pomp. Bowling full and fast, and with the confidence that comes with 15 wickets in three innings, James Anderson turned his man inside-out with a brutal seamer that jagged wickedly off the edge and into the clutches of Andrew Strauss at first slip. At 1 for 1 after three overs, the innings was already on the skids.Single of the day
Yesterday, Azhar Ali compiled a 32-ball duck, the 15th-slowest in the history of Test cricket. Today, he hadn’t escaped his pair when, from his 44th runless delivery of the match, he was adjudged caught-behind off Stuart Broad, only for the decision to be overturned on review – a rarity for Azhar, who was memorably luckless in his flirtations with UDRS at Trent Bridge. Three balls later, he poked Broad into the covers and set off for a run that matched KP for duck-avoidance desperation. But he made his ground, just, to escape another layer of ignominy.