India broke their run of defeats by beating New Zealand by three wickets in the 3rd-place playoff of the NatWest Women’s T20 Quadrangular Series at the Rose Bowl

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2011
ScorecardJhulan Goswami was the key to India’s victory•Getty Images

India Women broke their run of defeats by beating New Zealand Women by three wickets in the third-place playoff of the NatWest Women’s T20 Quadrangular Series at Aldershot.Having suffered three straight losses during the group stage, India chased down New Zealand’s 95 with a ball to spare. India’s captain Jhulan Goswami was the star, guiding her side home with a cool 33 not out from 28 balls. In a low-scoring encounter, New Zealand were left to rue the 10 wides and three no balls they sent down.The chase was by no means certain when India were reduced to 24 for 3 but Harmanpreet Kaur (14) and Veda Krishnamurthy (15) helped them recover and laid the foundations for Goswami to finish the job.It was an unhappy farewell to Twenty20 cricket for New Zealand’s captain Aimee Watkins. She retires after the upcoming ODIs and had started well at the top of the order, making 15, before becoming the second of two wickets for Amita Sharma.At one stage, when they were 61 for 3, New Zealand looked capable of posting a threatening score but Liz Perry fell for 18 and the lower order couldn’t carry on. Amy Satterthwaite top-scored with 35 but it wasn’t enough.”We needed this win very badly before the start of the ODI series,” Goswami said. “This win will give us much needed momentum because we did not have any so far. I hope we carry this into the ODI series. You must remember that we beat a good side like New Zealand. All four sides are evenly matched, but we had not got up on the victory column as yet.”I told my coach (Anju Jain) that I need to bat up the order and she agreed. If I had not taken the responsibility, the result may have been different. The win came at the right time. You must remember that we were playing for the third place in a world tournament.”Watkins said: “Everyone’s really disappointed. I think the wicket was the reason. We obviously we did not get a big score on the board. While bowling, we were all over the place and we bowled both sides of the wicket. We also gave away too many extras I think.”

A round-up of the fourth day of matches in the ICC Africa Region Division One Twenty20 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2011Namibia continued their domination of the ICC Africa Region Division One Twenty20, beating Nigeria by six wickets at the Kyambogo Cricket Ground with more than seven overs to spare. Choosing to bat, Nigeria struggled for momentum as none of their batsmen could get past 20. Namibia’s bowlers kept things tight – Louis van der Westhuizen picked up two for 13 while Pikky Ya France had figures of 2 for 11 off three – as Nigeria ended their 20 overs on 88 for seven.Namibia got off to a shaky start, losing van der Westhuizen in the second over – but a 17-ball 34 from opener Craig Williams, followed by steady contributions from Sarel Burger and Gerrie Snyman stamped out any hope Nigeria might have had of getting back into the game.In the second game of the day Uganda beat Ghana by 36 runs in a low-scoring match. Choosing to bat, Uganda started off sluggishly but Frank Nsubuga, with an unbeaten 29-ball 48 which included three fours and sixes, provided the much-needed impetus. He failed to receive much support from the other end though, as Uganda reached 119 for seven in their 20 overs.Ghana lost their openers early before Obed Harvey combined with Samson Awiah for a 42-run third-wicket partnership steady the innings. But having taken just under 15 overs overs to get to 56, the required-rate was climbing for Ghana, and the wickets of Awiah and Harvey triggered a collapse as they slumped from 56 for two to 83 all out in the 20th over. Deusdedit Muhumza picked up the last four wickets, including three in the 18th over, finishing with figures of five for 17.There was more disappointment for Ghana when they were beaten by Kenya in a tight chase. Chasing 120 Kenya openers Duncan Allan and Jignesh Hirani added 59 for the opening wicket they lost three wickets for 19 at one stage, the middle order chipped in to seal victory with seven balls to spare. Earlier Obed Harvey top scored for Ghana with 32 in 30 and they were boosted by a quickfire 25 by Isaac Aboagye down the order. However, 17-year-old offspiner Vinit Shikotra picked up three wickets to keep Ghana down to what turned out to be a gettable target.Burger and Snyman starred for Namibia as they beat beat Uganda by 19 runs. Burger top-scored with an unbeaten 56 and was part of three productive stands: he added 51 with opener van der Westhuizen, 46 with Snyman and 35 with Raymond van Schoor as Namibia reached 151 for four. Arthur Ziraba made 48 for Uganda, but failed to received much support from the other batsmen. Snyman picked up three for 20 as Namibia were restricted to 132 for 7.

Derbyshire concluded their CB40 campaign with a three-wicket win over Kent in a
low-scoring encounter at Canterbury

29-Aug-2011
ScorecardDerbyshire concluded their CB40 campaign with a three-wicket win over Kent in a
low-scoring encounter at Canterbury.In pursuit of Kent’s modest 40-over total of 208 for nine, the Falcons reached
their target with three balls to spare to clinch their sixth Group A success of
the season for a third-placed finish.Batting proved difficult for both sides on a dry, previously-used pitch, where
no less than nine spinners plied their trade to entice a rash of ill-judged
shots during an end-of-season clash that had nothing riding on the result in
terms of qualification or prize money. Derbyshire made a poor start when confusion over a short single between Chesney Hughes and Matt Lineker led to Hughes being run out for one by Daniel
Bell-Drummond.Lineker reached 13 before edging an airy drive to the keeper off Adam Ball then
Wes Durston holed out to long-on to give James Tredwell the first of his two
wickets. Greg Smith and Wayne Madsen combined to add 67 in 12 overs for the fourth
wicket before Smith (28) danced past a turning delivery from Tredwell to be
stumped.Madsen was rewarded for his vigilance with a 59-ball half-century, but undid
his good work 10 balls later by chipping a return catch to off-spinner Adam
Riley to go for 64.With 11 required Jonathan Clare (19) skied to deep mid-wicket off an Azhar
Mahmood slower ball then, with five needed, Ross Whiteley crashed a low catch to
cover to go for an eye-catching 40, leaving Peter Burgoyne to win it with a
rasping cover drive to the ropes in the final over.Batting first after winning the toss on an overcast afternoon, Kent’s openers
Joe Denly and Bell-Drummond made an unusually watchful start. With only 14 on the board, Bell-Drummond (five) went leg-before midway through the fifth over when playing around a straight one from Tony Palladino.Denly hit numerous crisp drives during his 36-ball stay but picked out the
fielders more often than not. His patience ran out with his score on 35 when he
sliced another forcing shot to Madsen at point to gift Clare a cheap wicket.The soft dismissals continued when van Jaarsveld (18) chipped a catch to short
mid-wicket then, three overs later, Darren Stevens (one) mistimed a drive to
short extra cover against the off-spin of Tom Knight. Sam Northeast (10) played across the line to be bowled by Knight, bringing together acting Kent captain Geraint Jones and Azhar Mahmood to ensure the hosts edged past 200.The sixth-wicket partners added 44 in 6.2 overs with Jones contributing a cameo
34 with three fours, while Mahmood reached a patient 50, only his second in the
competition this year, from 69 balls and with only four boundaries.Mahmood went for a season’s best 68 when he carved a back-foot slash into the
hands of backward point, Tredwell heaved across the line to be bowled for one
then Palladino snared Jones lbw to finish with fine figures of four for 32.Matt Coles and Ball hit out lustily in the closing stages to leave the Falcons
to chase at an asking rate of 5.22 an over.

With Yorkshire hovering on the brink of relegation, Ryan Sidebottom remained determined that his side would go down fighting on the third day of their County Championship clash with Somerset at Headingley

09-Sep-2011
ScorecardWith Yorkshire hovering on the brink of relegation, Ryan Sidebottom remained determined that his side would go down fighting on the third day of their County Championship clash with Somerset at Headingley.Firstly, the former England paceman played a major part in a ninth-wicket stand of 53 – the highest of the innings – which dragged Yorkshire to 195 all out and left them trailing their opponents by 70. Then, in a furious spell of bowling either side of tea, he grabbed four for 34 in 12 overs as Somerset stumbled to 46 for 5. They closed the day on 124 for 6, with a lead of 194, to leave the game wide open and Yorkshire still in with a shout of recording their only win of the season at headquarters.When stumps were drawn, however, the scoreboard showed that Yorkshire’s over rate stood at minus two and if it should remain in the red then they will be relegated, regardless of what may happen elsewhere next week. If they get back on an even keel, Worcestershire require only one more point to send Yorkshire down.Until Sidebottom began his heroics, Yorkshire looked like ending a depressing campaign on another dismal note as wickets began to fall immediately they resumed their innings, at 20 without loss from nine overs. Joe Root was lbw to Alfonso Thomas’ fifth ball of the morning and captain Joe Sayers was similarly dismissed in the next over from Steve Kirby.A beautiful delivery from Kirby nipped away from Anthony McGrath and found the edge for James Hildreth to take the catch at first slip and only Adam Lyth batted with any authority as both Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance got out to poor shots.Lyth completed his half-century off 76 balls with eight boundaries but Yorkshire went in to lunch on 121 for 6 after Adil Rashid had been bowled by Kirby shouldering arms to the last delivery before the interval.The slide continued early in the afternoon, with Thomas accounting for Lyth and Ajmal Shahzad in consecutive overs to bring in Sidebottom at 133 for eight. Both he and Rich Pyrah jogged along nicely until Sidebottom went for a big hit against Murali Kartik and hit a high ball straight into the air for Hildreth to position himself underneath and take the catch.Thomas had last man Moin Ashraf lbw without scoring to give him figures of 5 for 66 and Somerset’s first-innings lead was sufficient to keep alive their slim title hopes.Alex Barrow and Arul Suppiah safely negotiated the first eight overs from Sidebottom and Shahzad before the former left them in disarray with three wickets for one run in 16 balls, Barrow being caught behind and Chris Jones and Hildreth falling lbw.Somerset were 26 for 3 at tea and with the third ball after the break, Ashraf had Hildreth nudging a fast catch to McGrath at first slip, the fifth wicket then going down at 46 when Peter Trego slapped Sidebottom into the covers to be well caught by Ballance diving to his right.Jos Buttler threatened a recovery until McGrath was brought into the attack and pinned him lbw in his first over but Craig Meschede and Thomas rallied Somerset once Sidebottom was out of the attack, Meschede slamming Rashid over midwicket for six. The seventh-wicket stand was worth 46 at the close, with Meschede on 30 and Thomas 25.

Mohammad Kaif has stepped down as captain of Uttar Pradesh [UP], after six years in the role

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2011Mohammad Kaif has stepped down as captain of Uttar Pradesh [UP] after six years in the role. He would like to remain a part of the side, he said, as a batsman.”I am happy with my stint as captain of the UP side. In the last six years, we reached four finals and once won the [Ranji] title,” Kaif told in Bangalore, where he is with Royal Challengers Bangalore for the Champions League T20. “But now I want to play just as a batsman. I informed him [UP Cricket Association secretary Rajiv Shukla] about this after the Challenger Trophy. There is no dearth of talent in the state. Whoever is chosen [as the next captain], I will support him.”India batsman Suresh Raina has been named captain, while RP Singh will be his deputy.Kaif was named captain for the 2005-06 domestic season, leading UP to their maiden Ranji title that year, as well as the final of the domestic one-day tournament, which they lost to Railways. UP has made two Ranji finals under Kaif since, losing to Delhi in 2007-08 and Mumbai in 2008-09.UP play their first Ranji fixture of the 2011-12 season against Punjab from November 3.

Mohsin Khan, Pakistan’s interim coach, has said that he told his players to be mentally strong ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Dubai

Umar Farooq30-Oct-2011Mohsin Khan, Pakistan’s interim coach and chief selector, has said that he told his players to be mentally strong ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Dubai. Pakistan won the match by nine wickets after squandering a strong position in the drawn first Test in Abu Dhabi.”It’s a team game and every man has to play his part instead of relying on the senior players,” Mohsin told ESPNcricinfo. “I advised them to be honest and responsible as we are here to perform our duty and are expected to deliver our best.”The important thing I had transmitted to the boys was that no matter how big a player you are, you aren’t bigger than Pakistan.”Pakistan’s batsmen showed rare consistency in Dubai and the bowlers responded well to give them a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Mohsin said that he tried to get the players to trust their abilities and they delivered. “My team has all the required capability to beat any team. They only needed consistency in batting and bowling and this time they hit the mark in both departments and results are there.”Pakistan had dropped six catches in Sri Lanka’s second innings in Abu Dhabi after taking a 314-run first-innings lead, allowing Kumar Sangakkara and Prasanna Jayawardene to put on a match-saving 201-run stand. Mohsin said that Pakistan were disappointed that they had let go of a winning opportunity. “Those dropped catches actually dented all our good work. But this is all part of cricket and what is important is not to repeat those mistakes and take the next step for improvement.”Mohsin also warned his side against being satisfied with their 1-0 lead ahead of the final Test in Sharjah. “We are wary of Sri Lanka as they will come hard and try to make the most of the final Test but we are brimming with confidence and I will ensure my men guard against complacency.”Test cricket will return to Sharjah after a nine-year gap when the third match of the series starts on November 3, but Mohsin said that there would be little difference in conditions compared to the venues for the first two games. “The climate conditions are similar as before though the track has a lot to offer to batsmen and less to the bowlers.”

Test cricket in England was given a major vote of confidence as Investec signed a 10-year sponsorship deal with the ECB for the five-day game

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's24-Nov-2011Test cricket in England was given a major vote of confidence as Investec, the international specialist bank, signed a 10-year sponsorship deal with the ECB for the five-day game.The sponsorship, understood to be worth around £50 million, will run until 2021 and is the longest deal signed in the ECB’s history. It will incorporate three home Ashes series and two visits of India. The deal begins next summer when England host West Indies and South Africa for two three-Test series.Australia’s victory against South Africa at the Wanderers means England are guaranteed to hold onto their No. 1 ranking ahead of their series against Pakistan in UAE which begins in January. The team’s success in reaching the top spot, including consecutive Ashes series victories, has made them an attractive commercial product.Also, unlike other countries that are struggling to attract crowds that is not a problem for the English game. Earlier this week tickets for The Oval test against South Africa went on public sale and 21,000 were snapped up in the first three hours.”This is excellent news for all supporters of Test cricket and a further boost for our five-day game following the England team’s recent achievement in becoming the world’s number one ranked Test side,” David Collier, the ECB chief executive, said. “Investec are an established brand with extensive experience in the sports sponsorship field and we are delighted that they have made such a significant, long-term commitment to promoting Test cricket in this country.”The extent of their investment reflects the fact that our five day game continues to command very significant audiences – both at home where we achieved record attendances for international cricket in 2011 and abroad where the England team is gaining increased exposure in markets such as Asia, South Africa and Australia.Investec has previously been a key sponsor of English rugby – there was a wry smile on the face of Raymond van Niekerk, the global marketing director, in light of the recent controversies engulfing the Rugby Football Union – and they become only the third title sponsor of Test cricket in England following Cornhill and npower.”If you get involved with any sponsorship you have to take a long-term view,” said van Niekerk. “For us, two or three years in is only the beginning. It also gives certainty to the partners that we are serious.”

Phillip Hughes, the Australia left-hander, will join Worcestershire in June for his third stint in county cricket.

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2011Phillip Hughes, the Australia left-hander, will join Worcestershire in June for his third stint in county cricket.He is currently fighting to retain his place in the Test side having endured a poor series against New Zealand where he fell to the same combination – caught Guptill, bowled Martin – in all four innings for a tally of 41 runs. With David Warner having carried his bat for 123 in the second innings in Hobart, Hughes now faces a fight to hold onto his berth for the Boxing Day Test against India.Hughes has had previous spells with Middlesex in 2009 and Hampshire in 2010. In three matches for Middlesex before the Ashes series he scored 574 runs at 143.50 with three hundreds, but only lasted for two Tests after being troubled by Andrew Flintoff. When he returned for Hampshire the following summer he made just 85 runs in six innings.”I’m absolutely thrilled to be heading back to England,” Hughes said. “Worcestershire is a quality organisation and I can’t wait to meet my new team-mates and re-acquaint myself with English conditions. My previous stint in England helped my batting enormously and I have high expectations that spending the 2012 Australian winter in the UK will do the same.”Steve Rhodes, Worcestershire’s director of cricket, added: “To gain the signature of the current Australian Test opener is a tremendous boost for the club and the players for the 2012 season. Phil is a heavy run-scorer with a career ratio of a century every four games in first-class cricket.”

Graham Ford has announced he is quitting as head coach of Dolphins, the Durban-based franchise

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2012Graham Ford, the former South Africa coach, has announced he is quitting as head coach of the Dolphins, the Durban-based franchise. Ford, who requested to be released with immediate effect, said he had ambitions of coaching an international side.”While I feel a passion for Dolphins cricket, I respectfully ask for an immediate release from my Dolphins coaching position in order to follow my dreams of involvement at an international level,” Ford said.Ford took over as coach of South Africa from Bob Woolmer in 1999 and held the position till 2001. He moved to Kent as director of cricket in 2004, and in 2006 he returned home to take charge of the Dolphins. In June 2007, he was offered the challenge of coaching India but, to the embarrassment of the BCCI, declined. In 2009, he withdrew his name from the shortlist of candidates for the England coaching job.

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has stepped down from his position as captain of the Mumbai Ranji team

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2012Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has stepped down from his position as captain of the Mumbai Ranji team in order to focus on his batting. Jaffer had captained Mumbai in the Ranji trophy over the past four seasons and under him, Mumbai emerged winners in 2008-09 and 2009-10. However, Mumbai failed to make the Ranji final this season, losing to Tamil Nadu in the semi-final.”I want to concentrate more on my batting. I didn’t have a good Ranji Trophy season and for me batting is more important than captaincy,” Jaffer told the . Jaffer had been struggling throughout the season, recording an aggregate of 406 runs in nine matches across twelve innings with just one century.”Once you are captain it is very important to lead by example,” Jaffer said. “The word ‘captain’ is only nice to say but it’s a lot of pressure to lead a team. If the team doesn’t do well, then the captain is always made a scapegoat. When you don’t score, it doesn’t look good.”Jaffer was dismissed for zero in the semi-final and managed just one run in the quarter-final against Madhya Pradesh. After Mumbai were knocked out of the tournament, coach Sulakshan Kulkarni said that one of the “biggest factors” behind Mumbai’s loss was Jaffer’s batting. “We needed him the most in the last two matches. It was a big loss to us.” Kulkarni was also critical of Jaffer’s leadership, calling him a “defensive captain with defensive approach”.”I was disappointed, I’m not a perfect captain,” Jaffer said of the coach’s remarks. “Everybody makes mistakes; if there was any problem I should have been told inside the dressing-room, not in public. I was never told about my captaincy the entire season.”Suddenly I was told I lacked attitude. Four months ago I was the best captain and after losing I’m no good.”Jaffer said that India batsman Rohit Sharma, if available, would be the best choice to lead Mumbai in the next season, but said that “whoever is picked, should be given adequate time”.