Matthew Wade has a week to contemplate his receipt of a baggy green cap after the national selectors guaranteed his place as Australia’s wicketkeeper for the first Test against the West Indies in Bridgetown

Daniel Brettig in Barbados01-Apr-2012Matthew Wade has a week to contemplate his receipt of a baggy green cap after the national selectors guaranteed his place as Australia’s wicketkeeper for the first Test against West Indies in Bridgetown.In naming the team for a three-day fixture against a West Indies Board XI at the Three Ws Oval from Monday, the national selector John Inverarity rested Wade, David Warner and Michael Hussey – all three tagged for major roles against the hosts in the three Tests to follow. Peter Nevill will take the gloves in the tour match and thus walk his first steps in the national team uniform, but short of a bad training accident it will be Wade who dons the gloves at Kensington Oval from Saturday in the absence of Brad Haddin.Though he was always the next man in line once Haddin was forced home by personal reasons to be with his family in Sydney, Wade’s displays in the limited-overs matches have oscillated between the capable and the awkward. However he will gain confidence from the knowledge that his Test place is now certain.The match offers the returning captain Michael Clarke and numerous others a chance to get acquainted with Caribbean cricket. Ed Cowan, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris and Michael Beer will all play their first active part in the tour, Beer allowed to bowl though nominal 12th man for what has been deemed a first-class engagement.There is a buoyant mood around Barbados about the prospects of Darren Sammy’s team following tied ODI and Twenty20 series, in which Australia’s cricketers were confounded by opponents who demonstrated far more resilience than may have been anticipated. While three Tests promise to offer a much more complete examination of a team, the Australians have grown rather more guarded about the battles to be fought across the next month in Bridgetown, Port of Spain and Roseau.Ponting, who first toured the West Indies in 1995 and has witnessed both memorable victories and stunning defeats in the region, said the team had spoken frankly of the task ahead following the undulating path followed during the limited-overs leg of the tour.”[It is] hard to make judgements on them after just one-day cricket and Twenty20 cricket,” Ponting said. “The thing that always tests out countries without great depth is Test match cricket. The Kiwis are probably a really good example of that, In Twenty20 and one-day cricket they’re always very competitive but once the longer version of the game comes around they find it hard to win games.”You’ve got to give the Windies credit for what they did in the one-dayers and T20s here, but I guess by the end of the Test matches we’ll have a better idea of where they’re at. We spoke yesterday about how competitive they’ll be and we have to be prepared for that.”We’re definitely not taking them for granted or taking them lightly. I guess that’s a big part of my job in the next few days, to make sure we don’t get too carried away with things and preparing as we would for one of the powerhouse nations in world cricket.”Led by the wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh, the WICB President’s XI is dotted with players of Test match ambition and potential, alongside a few experienced heads including Fidel Edwards, Devon Smith and Baugh himself. Johnson Charles and Kieran Powell have the chance to follow up on their appearances in the limited-overs matches, Powell in particular wanting to make a better impression in creams.”I am very much looking forward to the game,” Powell said, having also shrugged off illness since he was dropped from the ODI team following three slim scores. “It is a wonderful opportunity not only for me, but the other players on the team to go out there and do well.”I have done some technical work with the coaches to help overcome some of the errors I have made, but I was sick over the last week, and did not train too much. I think things have been coming together nicely over the last few days and I believe I am in a much better place now.”WICB President’s XI squad Carlton Baugh (capt, wk), Ryan Austin, Nkrumah Bonner, Johnson Charles, Kyle Corbin, Fidel Edwards, Jason Holder, Delorn Johnson, Nelon Pascal, Kieran Powell, Devon Smith, Devon Thomas.Australians Ed Cowan, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke (capt), Peter Forrest, Peter Nevill (wk), Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Lyon, Michael Beer (12th man but can bowl).Edited by Brydon Coverdale

With the help of technology that will be used for the first time in cricket coaching, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) is set to introduce real-time video analysis for player training

Siddarth Ravindran05-May-2012With the help of technology that will be used for the first time in cricket coaching, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) is set to introduce real-time video analysis for player training at its academy in Bangalore.The technology allows coaches to instantly access replays of deliveries on a hand-held device such as an iPad to provide more informed advice to players during a practice session. It can provide replays of a delivery from several different cameras, and can be used to monitor six nets simultaneously.The KSCA plans to initially use the technology for the Karnataka Ranji squad and at the Under-16 and U-19 levels in Bangalore, and intends to take it to smaller centres in the state like Mysore, Mangalore and Shimoga over the next year.The system is called Cognitive Video-based Coaching (CVBC) and was developed with the help of Belgium-based company EVS.Javagal Srinath, the KSCA secretary, was excited at the introduction of the new system. “We are the first to implement this,” he said. “In 10 years, coaching will be meaningless without technology like this.”The main advantage of the system, he felt, was that the instant feedback would help players analyse and work on their flaws during a practice session itself, instead of having to wait and watch it after the nets. He also said the CVBC will provide higher-quality pictures than those used in existing video analysis systems.The KSCA also has a large screen (6′ by 8′) for players and coaches to review a shot or bowling action immediately after a delivery.Srinath said any tips provided under the CVBC would be “proof-based”, which would help increase understanding between coaches and players.”Coaches will speak only from the pictures on the hand-held device or the big screen, giving no room for constructing contaminated imaginations in the mind of the players.”He said the new system would complement traditional coaching methods. “Even without technology, people will still score runs, cricket will still be played, but we are just trying to make the learning simple.”

Scotland claimed a comfortable 18-run win over Nottinghamshire on the Duckworth/Lewis method in the Clydesdale Bank 40 Group B clash in Edinburgh

07-May-2012
ScorecardScotland claimed a comfortable 18-run win over Nottinghamshire on the Duckworth/Lewis method in the Clydesdale Bank 40 Group B clash in Edinburgh.Nottinghamshire were put into bat and posted 219 for 7 at the Grange, with captain and wicketkeeper Chris Read top-scoring with 59 and Josh Davey and Majid Haq taking two wickets apiece.The Saltires, seeking to respond from yesterday’s rain-affected loss to Surrey, this time came out in credit after the weather forced a revision of the target.The visitors made a circumspect start before losing wickets in successive overs. Alex Hales was bowled for 18 by Matthew Parker in the sixth over and Riki Wessels followed in the seventh for one, caught by Calum MacLeod off the bowling of Evans, to leave Nottinghamshire 25 for 2.Samit Patel joined Michael Lumb to restore some stability, but in the 14th over the opener perished, caught behind off the bowling of Richie Berrington for 26. James Taylor and Patel took the visitors into three figures before Patel was out for 36 from 43 balls, caught by MacLeod to become Haq’s first victim.Read and Taylor set about the Scottish attack and built a useful partnership which came to an end when the latter attempted to up the ante further. Again MacLeod was the catcher off Haq’s bowling, Taylor departing in the 32nd over having made 34 runs off 56 balls.Steven Mullaney then provided able support to Read, who fell four overs from the end, caught by Ryan Flannigan off the bowling of Davey. Davey claimed his second wicket in his next over as Paul Franks fell, MacLeod again claiming the catch.The visitors survived the remaining nine balls unscathed, but their total soon looked short as MacLeod and Davey made a fast start, powering along to 73 without loss after 15 overs.MacLeod reached a 57-ball half-century, with six fours and a six, before the partnership reached three figures in the 21st over. They had advanced to 108 from 23 before rain halted play, 18 runs ahead of the D/L par, with MacLeod on 58 and Davey 44.Patel and Mullaney were economical among a struggling bowling attack which proved unable to make any inroads into the hosts’ line-up.

It took until the last half-hour but Sussex finally broke Surrey’s resistance and completed a ten-wicket victory at Horsham

Sahil Dutta at Horsham09-Jun-2012ScorecardJames Anyon bowled Rory Hamilton-Brown late in the day to leave Sussex 22 to win•Getty Images

Sussex broke through belated Surrey resistance to seal a 10-wicket victory in the dying overs at Horsham. Though the result looked close in the end, with the Rory Hamilton-Brown finding support from the Surrey tail to take the game to the final half hour, the difference through the match was actually much larger.Surrey had been behind since surrendering their first innings on the opening day. Nonetheless, coming into the day on a benign surface with nine wickets in hand they stood a chance of seeing out a draw. Instead they slumped to 198 for 8 and at that stage looked like subsiding ingloriously. Yet Hamilton-Brown scrapped through 21 overs with John Lewis and Jade Dernbach to set nerves jangling among the home supporters.With the overs ticking by, tension, absent through the whole day, built alarmingly but Anyon burst through Hamilton-Brown’s defences to uproot off stump. A 160-ball 47 was a testimony to defiance from the Surrey captain, but he may wonder if greater intent might just have proved a better route to safety. Sussex needed 22 from the final six overs of the day, and the festival crowd, suitably lathered up after a day in the sun, cheered them all the way home.For a batting team normally on the reckless side of positive, Surrey were strangely subdued throughout. Hamilton-Brown’s bravado, that might have inspired a maverick counter-attack, was instead exchanged for a melancholic grit. Early on especially, he pushed and prodded and allowed Panesar to settle into a fine spell. A different approach may have delivered a different result.It was Panesar’s best match of the summer. He looked sprightly last evening, after his giddy fun with the bat, and settled into a rhythm straight-away today. He would have wanted more than three wickets and but applied the tourniquet, with 21 maidens from 32 overs, from which Sussex built their breakthroughs.Until the finale, Surrey never quite got to grips with the day. Mark Ramprakash began grimly, playing and missing his way to 9 from 70 balls, but having found some fluency – adding a further 28 in a hurry – he was pinned in front missing a sweep off Panesar. It was, though, Ramprakash’s highest score of the season and after using five different opening combinations in their previous eight games, Surrey will hope this one can remain for a while more.Zander de Bruyn survived two chances but could not cash in, instead becoming the second player to be trapped lbw sweeping Panesar. Tom Maynard missed the previous day’s fielding after being involved in a car accident. He looked forlorn today, suffering his way through 35 balls for 5. He and Hamilton-Brown, who normally form one of the most exciting batting pairs in the Championship, could only muster 16 between them in the best part of 13 overs. Eventually Chris Nash ended Maynard’s misery. Nash has been a golden partnership breaker for Sussex and his entrance into the attack was greeted by an increasingly cheerful home crowd. By his sixth delivery, Nash proved the locals’ faith correct by nailing Maynard in front.Farce followed when Hamilton-Brown was too late sending Gareth Batty back for a single towards mid-on, leaving Batty well short. Murali Kartik made it to tea before missing a gloriously rose-tinted swish and losing his off stump to the deserving Anyon. The victory chants were warming up in the crowd by then, but Sussex ran into tougher defence. After a 13 over stand, it took Nash, again, to remove Lewis, caught behind before, another tantalising wait later, Anyon finished the innings.Defeat left Surrey still chasing a second win having lost three and drawn three since beating Sussex in the opening match of the season. That wait will now go for much longer since the Twenty20 season has arrived but Surrey may well welcome it. The second half of the Championship summer is when they found their form last year and drier pitches may suit their batting line-up more.Sussex needed respite after successive defeats. As coach Mark Robinson admitted, they are remain a slightly callow team. “I think sometimes they lack a bit of self confidence but there is room in this team to grow. I think there is a lot more to come from us.” Victory will provide some of that assurance. When the second half of the season arrives, the scrap to avoid relegation will be compelling. Thanks to their win here, though, Sussex have probably avoided the pit.

Ravi Bopara’s return to England’s Test team will be confirmed on Sunday when he is slotted in for the No. 6 role against South Africa

Andrew McGlashan14-Jul-2012Ravi Bopara’s return to England’s Test team will be confirmed on Sunday when he is slotted in for the No. 6 role against South Africa. He will be the one significant change from the team which took on West Indies earlier this season by replacing Jonny Bairstow in the middle order.Bopara’s form in the ODI series against Australia, where he scored 182 runs and claimed four useful wickets, confirmed he is primed for a return to the Test side after a frustrating period where injuries have curtailed his opportunities. He was set to make a comeback in Sri Lanka after Eoin Morgan was dropped but picked up a side strain which prevented him from bowling and so Samit Patel was preferred over him. Then, at the start of this season, he injured his thigh which ruled him out of the series against West Indies.That opened the door for Yorkshire’s Bairstow, but he struggled in the three Tests and made just 38 runs and has not had a huge amount of batting since. He returned to Championship action this week and collected a first-ball duck against Hampshire.The other area of debate for the selectors will be who takes the role of third fast bowler behind James Anderson and Stuart Broad. England’s new-ball pair missed the last Test against West Indies when they were both rested but will return to spearhead the attack for the main event of the season.In the first two Tests against West Indies they were accompanied by Tim Bresnan who was Man of the Match at Trent Bridge after a destructive spell of reverse swing on the third evening sealed the series for England. He currently has a Test bowling average of 26.09 (alongside his batting figure of 40.22) and will be tough to dislodge, but Steven Finn’s performances in the recent one-day matches have made a very strong case.In the four completed matches against Australia, Finn took eight wickets at 19.37 including 4 for 37 at Chester-le-Street. He played the final Test against West Indies when Broad and Anderson were rested but was out-bowled on that occasion by Graham Onions who is the other fast bowler in contention. However, it may be that Onions does not even find a place in this squad such are England’s resources.There are a couple of lingering injury concerns with Bresnan and Graeme Swann having both recently been rested due to elbow problems. Swann missed the last two ODIs against Australia, and did not play for Nottinghamshire against Middlesex, while Bresnan has not played since the fourth ODI at Chester-le-Street.Earlier this week Andy Flower said: “Swann and Bresnan have ongoing elbow problems. Our medical staff believe they will be fit and available for selection for the first Test but it’s a strenuous exercise being a bowler playing international cricket.”They play all three forms of the game so that’s why Swann missed a big part of the one-day series and why we rested Bresnan for the last match at Old Trafford.”The impact of an injury to Swann is one area where this England side have yet to be tested. His absence would leave a vast hole to fill as he provides both attacking and defensive skills, which have been key to England being able to employ a four-man attack with such success.Should cover – or even a replacement – be needed at any stage it would probably come from either Monty Panesar or James Tredwell instead of any of the young spinners in county cricket such as Danny Briggs, Scott Borthwick or Simon Kerrigan who are still some way short of Test quality.Panesar made a successful return against Pakistan in the UAE earlier this year, but did himself no favours with a poor fielding display at Galle and Tredwell, who took 2 for 23 in the last ODI against Australia, may well be the preferred option. This, though, is not the series where England want to test that theory.Probable squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn

Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis have been given the all clear by South Africa’s medical staff ahead of the team’s two-day tour match against Derbyshire

Firdose Moonda in Derby09-Aug-2012Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis have been given the all clear by South Africa’s medical staff ahead of the team’s two-day tour match against Derbyshire, which starts on Friday.Both will be available for selection for the game after overcoming a knee ligament injury and lower back spasms respectively. Opening batsmen Alviro Petersen is unlikely to play as he still requires a few days to recover from a grade one hamstring strain which he picked up in the Headingley Test. Albie Morkel, the allrounder, is only partially fit and will play solely as a batsman.Mohammed Moosajee, the South African team manager, said: “Graeme has fully recovered from the minor ligament sprain to his left knee and we also have positive feedback from Jacques, who has responded well to treatment following the acute back spasms that he suffered during the Test,”Kallis has had an increasing number problems with his back in recent years, something put down to the burden on his body after 17 years of playing international cricket. He responded to treatment in a short space of time though, which Smith said was a sign of his resilience and the way he is managed by the support staff.Kallis’ back seized up on the third afternoon of the match and he was immobile for the entire fourth day. After extensive physiotherapy he returned on the final day and batted and bowled with no sign of discomfort.”Alviro is progressing well with rehab after the grade one hamstring strain he sustained at Headingley but he is unlikely to feature in the tour match against Derbyshire,” Moosajee said. “He will be focusing on his rehabilitation with the aim of making sure he is fully fit for the final Test at Lord’s.”Petersen also missed the first warm-up on tour, against Somerset in Taunton, after he hurt a joint in his foot whole out jogging. His absence from the team will open the door for Faf du Plessis, who was included in the squad before the second Test, to play his first match in whites for a South Africa team.Du Plessis was brought in as cover for Morkel who hurt his left ankle but has made good progress. “Albie’s has responded well to the cortisone injection he received last week,” Moosajee said. “Our physiotherapist, Brandon Jackson, will work on getting him to full bowling fitness during the coming week.”

Shakib Al Hasan voiced his frustration at Bangladesh’s early exit from the World T20s saying that the team should have taken the match against Pakistan to last five overs

Mohammad Isam27-Sep-2012Shakib Al Hasan voiced his frustration at Bangladesh’s early exit from the World T20s saying that the team should have taken the match against Pakistan to last five overs from “where it could [have gone] either way. But it seemed we were never in the game.” Shakib also added the team’s failure to do “elementary” things was annoying.Pakistan reached the target of 176 runs with eight balls to spare. A few overs earlier, in the 16th, they completed the progress to the Super-Eights when they crossed the 139-run mark that gave them a better net run-rate than Bangladesh.He explained how, while fielding, the basics went missing; the lack of commitment too peeved Shakib. “I didn’t like the way we lost. We should have been lively after scoring 175, saved around fifteen runs while fielding. I’m talking about elementary things like standing 10 yards inside the boundary on the larger side of the ground. This is just a matter of common sense,” he told Bangla daily in Kandy.”These things annoy me because neither the captain nor I can tell this every ball. Then the fielder doesn’t put in the dive as the ball nears the boundary line. The dive may not work but at least the action inspires another fielder. The others will run beside the ball, without diving, seeing this,”.”This is what I expected from the team when I was the captain and even now when I’m not the captain. I think I will expect these things all the time. If we had done everything properly and lost, I wouldn’t have felt so bad. I would have thought, ‘they are a better team on paper and on the field and as a result we lost’. The disappointment would have been two out of 10, now it is six.”Shakib’s criticism of the level of commitment is significant and though he has landed in hot water in the past for giving a forthright point of view, this time it is quiet justified. Bangladesh have now failed to qualify to the second stage in all of their last four appearances in global events starting from the 2009 World Twenty20s. They had a long build-up to this campaign but it amounted to nothing after they were struck down by Brendon McCullum’s second Twenty20 international century in their first group game before giving it away to Pakistan.Their point of inspiration should have been the way Shakib bounced back after a poor day against New Zealand. His 54-ball knock put him on top of individual scores made by a Bangladeshi in T20Is, beating Nazimuddin’s 81.”I don’t normally plan anything when I go out to bat in a T20 game. After the first game against New Zealand, I realised that if I bat naturally I can have a 110-120 strike rate. I didn’t have to force things. So against Pakistan when I had gathered enough confidence, I started playing my shots,” he said, adding that he only thought of going for the hundred in the final over of the Bangladesh innings.
“From a personal point of view, I had a good day. But the disappointment was to see the game being given away.”

New Zealand’s Brendon MuCullum has moved to No. 1 in the Twenty20 Internationals rankings, following his match-winning 91 against India in Chennai on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2012

Twenty20 rankings

Batting: 1 Brendon McCullum, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 David Warner, 5 Martin Guptill, 6 Mahela Jayawardene, 7 Shane Watson, 8 Jacques Kallis, 9 Eoin Morgan, 10 Tillakaratne Dilshan
Bowling: 1 Saeed Ajmal, 2 Graeme Swann, 3 Johan Botha, 4 Ajantha Mendis, 5 Nathan McCullum, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Shane Watson, 8 Abdur Razzak, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Shakib Al Hasan

New Zealand’s Brendon MuCullum has moved to No. 1 in the Twenty20 Internationals rankings, following his match-winning 91 against India in Chennai on Tuesday. In the bowlers’ rankings, Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal, who moved up to No. 1 in the ODI bowling rankings at the end of the one-dayers against Australia, repeated the feat in the T20s, where he took six wickets in three games at 8.66.There was a lot of movement in the batting rankings following the clutch of T20I series in the lead-up to the World Twenty20, with Australia’s David Warner jumping up six places to fourth, and India’s Suresh Raina shifting up a place to third. The biggest loser in the rankings has been England’s Eoin Morgan, who slipped from No. 1 to No. 9 following the three-match series against South Africa, where he managed an aggregate of 15 runs from 20 balls.Graeme Swann was the player replaced at the top of the bowling rankings, moving down to No. 2. Shane Watson was the biggest mover among the top bowlers, moving up eight places to seventh – he had picked up three wickets in the three games against Pakistan, conceding less than a run a ball.Yuvraj Singh, who made 34 off 26 on comeback from cancer in India’s unsuccessful chase against New Zealand, re-entered the rankings at No. 15.For more on the rankings, click here.

North Zone strengthened their grip on the Duleep Trophy quarter-final in Chennai as a combined bowling performance helped them bowl West Zone out for 164

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2012
ScorecardIshant Sharma destroyed West Zone’s top order•K Sivaraman

North Zone strengthened their grip on the Duleep Trophy quarter-final in Chennai with a combined bowling performance that bowled West Zone out for 164 and secured a 320-run lead. Ishant Sharma destroyed the top order and legspinner Amit Mishra ran through the tail, taking seven wickets between them. The North Zone openers batted for 14 overs to add 30 runs before stumps, with a day remaining.Six for 1 overnight, West Zone’s slump began in the second over of the day, when opener Kaustubh Pawar fell without a run being scored. The new batsmen tried to build partnerships but were slow. When in-form Cheteshwar Pujara got out to Ishant in the 22nd over, West Zone were struggling at 40 for 4. Bhushan Chauhan and wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel batted together for 24.2 overs, scoring 72 runs – the highest stand of the innings. Chauhan was dismissed by Ishant, who had accounted for four top-order wickets. Patel reached a fifty but departed soon after, and West Zone were 128 for 6. The last four wickets added only 36 more.Besides Sharma and Mishra, seamer Rishi Dhawan also helped North Zone with important wickets of No. 3 batsman Murtuja Vahora and Patel. To force a result on the last day, North Zone will want to declare early and bowl West Zone out quickly again.

The flooding that has cursed many parts of the UK has claimed a predictable victim – Worcestershire’s New Road ground which is under water yet again.

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2012The flooding that has cursed many parts of the UK has claimed a predictable victim – Worcestershire’s New Road ground which is under water yet again.Worcestershire have said that relocation of their administrative operations has meant that there has been less disruption than usual, although construction work on a new 120-room hotel and restaurant has been threatened almost as soon as it has started.The redevelopment includes new conference and executive suites and is essential to safeguard Worcestershire’s financial future.Prolonged and heavy flooding would put pressure on a deadline for completion of the club suites by June 2013, with the new hotel and restaurant scheduled to open in October next year.Worcestershire have constructed a temporary bridge to gain access to the Graeme Hick Pavilion so all functions, including a comedy night this Friday, go ahead as scheduled.