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A round-up of the fourth day of the third round of the Regional Four Day Competition

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2011Combined Campuses and Colleges completed a comfortable 158-win over Leeward Islands at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. Gavin Tonge, batting at No.9, offered some late resistance, striking seven fours and three sixes in his 65, but his efforts only served to delay the inevitable. It was a historic moment for CCC, who earned their first victory over the home team in five tries. The win also moved them into a three-way tie with Jamaica and England Lions at the top of the table after three games. All three teams have 24 points. Leewards remain bottom of the table with three points.Lendl Simmons was unlucky to miss out on a hundred after providing plenty of entertainment on the final day as Trinidad & Tobago earned a draw with England Lions at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain. England Lions declared their second innings on 277 for 6, leaving T&T 320 for victory in a little over two sessions, and Simmons came out with intent. He smashed 12 fours and two sixes in a whirlwind 94 from 99 balls, but his departure, caught at cover off the last ball before tea from legspinner Adil Rashid, after he had charged down the pitch and played a wild hoick, put paid to T&T’s ambitions of chasing the game. Lions picked up six points to move to the top of the table, with T&T in fourth with 21 points.Former West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels made his second hundred of the tournament as Jamaica ground out a draw with Barbados at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. Samuels, who was dropped twice in the slips, took advantage of his chances to make 105, an innings that included eight fours and one six and took close to five hours. He added 127 for the third wicket with Wavell Hinds, who made 57, reaching his century with a drive through extra cover off Jason Holder. Jamaica took six points from the game, while Barbados picked up three.

Michael Clarke admits he will not be respected until he can bolster his captaincy with vital runs and major victories.

Daniel Brettig18-Apr-2011Michael Clarke is happy to admit he will not be completely respected as Australia’s captain, within the team and without, until he can bolster his position with vital runs and major victories.Important runs and series wins were ever present in the first part of Ricky Ponting’s captaincy, but his power base began to erode from the moment the supplies of each began to thin, culminating in resignation from his post after failed Ashes and World Cup campaigns.
Clarke began his tenure with a handsome enough ODI series win over Bangladesh. But he knows greater battles, and the presence he can gain by how he fights them, are yet to arrive.”I certainly feel like I’ve got the support and respect as a player because I’ve played a lot of international cricket. For me it’s about now gaining that respect as a captain and a leader and I guess the first and foremost way to do that is to have some success on the field, to get some wins,” Clarke told ESPNcricinfo before his return home from Dhaka.”Now is an opportunity for me to get home and have a really good think about what’s happened over the last 12 months and where I see this team going over the next 12-24 months, and how we can set some goals and have some targets we try to achieve.”I don’t really know how the players feel, I guess they’d be happy because we got the result [in Bangladesh], we won and for me I didn’t want to change too many things straight away, it was about coming here, training hard, preparing well and playing some good cricket on the filed. Now I’ve got this time to assess things, speak to the right people and get some guidance and some help, and assess where we’re at.”Clarke’s own batting is vital to the success of his leadership, and on the evidence of the summer’s Ashes series he has much work to do. England’s relentless line of attack around off stump left Clarke either fishing or floundering, and after nine Test matches at No.4 his average is a sick-looking 21.58, with only two half centuries.There remains an observation of Clarke, common among former players, that his batting has lacked the knack for spinal innings in the vein of a Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh, Mark Taylor or Allan Border. He has played some attractive and determined knocks, sure, but a gap exists in his CV when it comes to match and series-defining scores. In that sense Clarke’s most memorable effort remains the 151 made on his Test debut against India at Bangalore in 2004, something he must transcend as captain.”I think it is important to lead from the front no doubt,” Clarke said. “Probably one of the things Ricky has taught me is that as a leader, as a senior player and certainly as the captain, you need to be standing up with the bat as a batsman, you need to be scoring runs. For me that’s a big part of this team going forward, I’m now the captain and I want to stand up and make sure I’m leading from the front.”In the field, one of Clarke’s greatest tasks will be to oversee the emergence of a penetrative and balanced Australian Test attack, following the ignominy of being made to look popgun on home soil during the Ashes. Key here will be his handling of spin bowlers, a constant source of weakness since Shane Warne retired.”The one thing we need to continue to remember though is we’re never going to get another Shane Warne. He’s one of a kind and I think as the Australian public and the expectation we have with our spin bowlers, things have changed,” said Clarke of a stable including Steve Smith, Michael Beer, Xavier Doherty, Jason Krejza and Nathan Hauritz.”We certainly haven’t got Warney, we’ve moved from that, but I do believe spin bowling will play a huge part in Australian cricket’s success going forward, it’s just about using them the right way, supporting them and getting the most out of what they do.”Hopefully I can set some good fields and show them good faith and support them as much as I possibly can. We’ve got a good mix of talent in the spin area to do a job. Again, they’re not Warney, but I think they can have a lot of success in international cricket.”The Australian team will reconvene in July for a pre-season camp at Coolum in Queensland, ahead of Test and limited-overs tours to Sri Lanka and South Africa.

If Mickey Arthur were coach of Australia he would keep Ricky Ponting at No. 3 in the Test match batting order

Daniel Brettig31-Mar-2011No one is saying he is after the job, but if Mickey Arthur were coach of Australia he would keep Ricky Ponting at No. 3 in the Test batting line-up. Arthur, who has been informally sought by Cricket Australia as a potential consultant at the Centre of Excellence in addition to his coaching job with Western Australia, is adamant that Ponting should be left in his customary batting position after handing over the captaincy to Michael Clarke.”I’m of the opinion he should stay at No. 3,” Arthur told ESPNCricinfo. “I still think he’s the best in that position, we saw that in the World Cup game [against India], but it will be interesting to see where he ends up. If I was coaching I’d want him at three.”Ponting and Michael Hussey will travel to Bangladesh with the Australia squad on Monday despite their advancing years, and Arthur argued it was vital they both be retained in the Test team for the unenviable task of back-to-back Test tours of Sri Lanka and South Africa later this year. According to Arthur, Ponting will be unburdened by the absence of a leadership role.”I think it [not being captain] will free him up now. Australia still needs him to bat, they need Ponting and Hussey with a good crop of young players now,” Arthur said. “The time is right to look at those young players and to build a team for 2013 [the Ashes] and the next World Cup. Michael Clarke’s got an opportunity now to put his stamp on the team and he needs to do that.”But he can only do that with guys like Ricky and Michael [Hussey] giving the younger players some experience. Touring Sri Lanka and South Africa are two of the toughest tours you can have. That [back-to-back tours] is a very, very tough gig.”The long road towards Ponting’s abdication arguably began when the South Africa team coached by Arthur and captained by Graeme Smith toppled Australia in 2008-09, the first time Australia had lost any series at home since 1993. Smith regarded Ponting as his role model, something that became ever more apparent, Arthur said, the longer he led his country.”They were very similar in the way they went about it. Both always liked leading from the front, and I know Graeme towards the back-end of his tenure took a lot of inspiration from Ricky. Even though their battles were very fierce I know Graeme respected him highly and always regarded him as almost the ultimate.”I think Ricky will go down as one of the best ever. He had a fantastic time and was a fantastic leader, and I certainly know in the South Africa dressing room, he had a huge amount of respect. I think he’s done it well, the time was right for him and he’s gone out on his own terms.”

Ravi Bopara scored his first half-century of the summer as Essex were made to battle for runs on the second day of their Championship match against Glamorgan at Chelmsford

27-Apr-2011
ScorecardRavi Bopara scored his first half-century of the summer as Essex were made to battle for runs on the second day of their Championship match against Glamorgan at Chelmsford. But despite his 61 and 53 from Mark Pettini, the home side still finished 24 short of Glamorgan’s first innings total after being bowled out for 258.By the close the Welsh county had moved to 50 for 1 in their second innings to establish an overall lead of 74. Before the game Bopara, who is desperate to win back his England Test place after gaining the last of his 10 caps in 2009, had scored only 92 runs from six trips to the middle.But after a scratchy start, he reached his 50 from 77 balls with the help of nine boundaries and added one more before he was beaten in the flight by left-arm spinner Dean Cosker and offered a simple return catch. Following Bopara’s departure, it was left to Pettini to add some much-needed steel to the Essex reply.Recently restored to the side, the former captain followed up his unbeaten 67 against Northamptonshire with another half century that consumed 125 deliveries and contained six boundaries.Pettini’s resistance was finally brought to an end when he was caught behind by Mark Wallace to provide Cosker with a further success. Tim Phillips ensured Essex collected their second batting point with a fighting 30 before he became the fourth victim of paceman James Harris, with those wickets coming at a cost of 68 from 22.3 overs.The impressive Cosker finished with 4 for 35 from 21 overs while the other two were claimed by Huw Waters. He removed Billy Godleman and night watchman Davis Masters in the morning during a six-over spell that cost 16. But then a back problem sidelined the medium pacer for the remainder of the innings.When Glamorgan went in again, Gareth Rees and Alviro Petersen moved to 36 without too much trouble before the latter was guilty of a gross error of judgement. He failed to offer a stroke to a Bopara delivery that nipped back and was trapped leg before.Rees should have followed two runs later, but Matt Walker failed to hold on at second slip after Lonwabo Tsotsobe found the edge. That let-off left Rees going into the third day on 25 and with Glamorgan holding the upper hand.

Gary Kirsten has been appointed coach of the South Africa team

Firdose Moonda06-Jun-2011Gary Kirsten has been appointed coach of the South Africa team for a term of two years. He will be joined by Allan Donald as bowling coach, and Russell Domingo, who coached the Warriors, as an assistant.”I’m delighted by the appointment and consider it a major honour,” Kirsten said at a press conference in Johannesburg. “It’s nice to be back … it’s nice to be among my people and to be working within that space.”Kirsten will begin his term as coach on August 1 and his first assignment will be a home series against Australia. He took over from Corrie van Zyl, who was an interim coach for 14 months after Mickey Arthur resigned following the home series against England in 2009-10.This is Kirsten’s second stint as coach of an international team. He finished a two-year term with India in April, after helping them win the 2011 World Cup and become the No. 1 Test team. At the end of his tenure, Kirsten indicated he would take time off to be with his young family.”There was a lot to consider from my side, from a personal perspective and from my time with Indian cricket,” he said. “A cooling off period was necessary.” Kirsten will have four months off from the end of his time with India to his starting date with South Africa.Kirsten described his new role as that of “team director/head coach” who would be at the helm of the “coaching team” which may also employ the services of a fielding coach on a contractual basis. CSA chief executive Gerald Majola said that after the board decided to appoint Kirsten, he was allowed to compile his own team of coaches, which included Donald and Domingo.Donald, who recently lost the Australia bowling job to Craig McDermott, turned down an offer from New Zealand Cricket in order to take up the role with South Africa. He was approached on Friday, when “some of my bags were packed” for New Zealand but did an about turn immediately “When I got the call from Gary it took me all but half a second to say yes,” Donald said. “It was almost like the very first call from Doctor Bacher in 1991, saying you are going to India and representing your country.” Donald will travel with the South Africa A team to Zimbabwe at the end of June for a tri-series which also involves Australia A.Donald’s appointment means Vincent Barnes’ contract will be terminated at the end of June. Barnes has been involved as South Africa’s bowling and assistant coach since 2003 and was hopeful of continuing his involvement. “He was offered the job of coaching Bangladesh and has turned it down,” Majola said. “We have offered him a role at the High Perfomance Centre and are waiting for him to respond.”The assistant role will be filled by Domingo, who was coach of the A side when they played Bangladesh A in April this year. He has been coach of the Warriors franchise for the last four seasons and won both the MTN40 and Standard Bank Pro20 titles in the 2009-10 season. “It is a positive for me having worked with a lot of players at South Africa A level,” Doningo said. “I suppose I can give Allan and Gary a little bit of insight into the players.”Kirsten did not discuss whether he would travel extensively, as it was initially thought he would not accompany the team on lesser tours. He indicated, however, that Domingo was being groomed for bigger things when he said, “There might well come a time when I feel that we can be quite flexible within our coaching staff.”

Dimitri Mascarenhas took three early wickets as Hampshire strengthened their
grip at the top of the Friends Life t20 South Group, with their tenth win in 13
matches

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Dimitri Mascarenhas took three early wickets as Hampshire strengthened their grip at the top of the Friends Life t20 South Group with their tenth win in 13 matches. Two stoppages for rain reduced Essex’s target, but they failed by nine runs, leaving Hampshire in a strong position to qualify for the quarter-finals as group toppers.Mascarenhas took his tally for the competition to 15 for the season by dismissing Adam Wheater and Tim Southee in his first over and then Mark Pettini in his third. The Essex chase never fully recovered although Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara attempted a recovery with a stand of 55 for the fourth wicket. Shah struck four fours and a six off Shahid Afridi in a knock of 38 of 34 balls, but it was not enough.When Essex came back out after a second rain stoppage they required 56 from five overs and soon lost Ryan ten Doeschate, before Bopara perished going for a big hit at 109. Bopara made 48, his side’s top score, but was stumped down the leg side off Afridi and with him went Essex’s last hope of salvaging a surprise win.Hampshire, after choosing to bat, made a competitive 151 for seven from their 20 overs. Key to their success was a stand of 85 for the fourth wicket between James Vince and Sean Ervine. Vince, the match’s top-scorer, made 55 from 46 balls in an innings that included six boundaries before he was lbw to Phillips in the 16th over with the total on 117.Ervine’s contribution was almost as valuable, striking 45 from 35 balls. He was the third victim of the innings for Southee, who finished with creditable figures of 3 for 30 from his four overs, while the all-important wicket of the dangerous Afridi went to Bopara. Afridi made only four before he lofted Bopara to Pettini.Essex, though, were always struggling once Mascarenhas made early inroads that left them 18 for three, and never looked like keeping up with the required-rate.

Cheteshwar Pujara, the Indian batsman, will be out of action for four months after undergoing knee surgery

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2011Cheteshwar Pujara, the India batsman, will be out of action for four months after undergoing knee surgery. He injured his right knee during the IPL earlier this year, missed out on much of that tournament and was forced to skip the recently concluded West Indies tour as well.Pujara, 23, is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, and still needs the help of crutches to walk. “The last time I injured my left knee, during the second IPL, there was a lot of pain,” he told the . “This time there was no pain at all and doctors believed I could get fit for the tour of England. But I was asked to consult Dr Andrew Williams [in England] who advised me to undergo surgery.”The surgery puts the brakes on Pujara’s attempts to seal a permanent spot in the Test XI. After several seasons of heavy run-scoring in the domestic circuit, he delivered on Test debut last year with an enterprising second-innings 72 to seal a home-series win against Australia.His absence from the West Indies tour and the forthcoming visit to England allows other contenders like Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh to make their case for the only middle-order opening available in the Indian team.”I don’t know what the future holds. I’m hopeful of making a comeback,” Pujara said. “I think I have given my best during the opportunities I have got.”Another, more senior, member of the Indian team is also at the NCA recovering from injury. Virender Sehwag, who had shoulder surgery in May, spent 40 minutes on Tuesday afternoon facing gentle throwdowns. He hasn’t played since the IPL, and will miss at least the first Test of the England series.

Only one day of this Test match has been played, but already, there have been four small victories for Zimbabwe

Firdose Moonda in Harare04-Aug-2011Only one day of this Test match has been played, but already, there have been four small victories for Zimbabwe.The first was achieved before the game had even started when four, eager young men were given their first Test caps. Tinotenda Mawoyo, Craig Ervine, Kyle Jarvis and Brian Vitori lined up like schoolboys, hands behind the backs, blazers perfectly tailored and fitted, those with hair had it neatly combed and there was excitement in all eight eyes. In front of them, the chief executive of the ICC, Haroon Lorgat, was waiting to congratulate them, having made the trip to Zimbabwe especially to witness the country’s return to Test cricket first hand.That in all the strife that has engulfed the country in recent years, they were able to produce four players capable of donning Test caps, two black, two white, showing the gap that has been bridged in cricket if not elsewhere, is a significant achievement. That one of them went on to bat with assurance and poise is something that the word victory doesn’t quite encapsulate. It’s just fantastic. Mawoyo showed why he was deserving of his debut with an accomplished 43, a just reward after battling a persistent hamstring injury in recent months.”I am definitely proud,” Brendan Taylor, Zimbabwe captain said. “He’s a guy that’s really guts it out and has batted long periods. I know he will be disappointed with getting in and then getting out but knowing the kind of guy that he is, he will come back stronger in the second innings.”The second triumph was in the way Zimbabwe approached the first day’s task. All the talk about the pitch was that it was, beyond doubt, a win-the-toss-and-bowl surface. What a mockery they made of that notion. A situation that could have disintegrated into a panic pot was handled with responsibility and authority as Mawoyo and Vusi Sibanda scored quickly but carefully in the morning session.They weren’t rattled by Shafiul Islam’s accuracy or over excited by Robiul Islam’s inconsistency. They showed the maturity that is sometimes absent from teams that have been playing Test cricket much longer, much more frequently and much more recently, than they have been. “I can’t compliment our guys enough,” Taylor said. “The way the openers stuck in there and laid a good platform for Hamilton and myself. It was good start for the day, we can’t ask for more.”Hamilton Masakadza is their third success story of the day. A stalwart of the set up, who has been playing international cricket for the last ten years, albeit sporadically, Masakadza showed how well he can apply himself when the occasion calls for it. His defence was solid, his attack was well executed and his mindset was strong. He will start tomorrow needing just 12 runs to reach a second Test century.Some of the journalists at the press conference reminded him that he has never been able to push on for 100 in the past, when being unbeaten overnight. Masakadza’s response showed that he cared about more than a collective cause and not doing anything to put that in jeopardy.”The thought [of getting to 100] crossed my mind a little bit when I was on 85 and there was still time in the day,” Masakadza said. “But when I saw the way Brendan was playing I thought it was better to just to see out the day and come back tomorrow only two down so that it didn’t put pressure on the guys coming in behind me.”The fourth truimph comes in the wonderful blend of ambition and humility that the Zimbabwe players carry with them. In years to come that may change, but for now it remains their most likeable trait.As far as objectives go, Taylor is already looking at a total that could well bat Bangladesh out of the match. “We’ll look to bat deep into tomorrow and put up to a total that makes it very difficult for the Bangladeshis to come back into the game,” he said. That total should be “nothing less than 450” and then comes the slight reticence, “but that’s still around 200 runs away.”The game plan tomorrow will be to continue building their house and not risking anything that may tear it down. “Hopefully Hamilton and myself can come in and bat the first session out and leave it up to our bigger hitters to come in from the middle order and add some runs,” Taylor said. He switched effortlessly from professional to pleasant acquaintance and went on recommended a local steakhouse to a few reporters who were looking for somewhere to experience an African dining experience.With all the focus on Zimbabwe’s showing, Bangladesh may feel as though they have no feats of their own to talk about after day one, and they wouldn’t be far wrong. A poor effort in the field takes away from any of the rare impressive deliveries that some of them dished up. A weary Shakib al Hasan said he expected more after putting Zimbabwe in to bat. “We thought that in the first two hours there will be some help for the bowlers,” he said. “I don’t think our bowlers bowled in good areas consistently, they bowled some good balls but not consistently enough.”He goes into the second day with only a simple piece of instruction for his bowlers: “I’d like them to bowl as straight as they can, to try to hit on the wicket every time they come and bowl, that’s why I have set a straight field.” He thinks that will be only way Bangladesh will get anywhere close to a victory of any sort because, “on that wicket, although it is flat, if you can’t bowl straight you are supposed to get hit.”