All posts by h716a5.icu

In Cardiff, on Thursday, England play their first Test since the Ashes but Andrew Strauss says the team can’t afford to look back at past successes

Andrew Miller in Cardiff25-May-2011The last time England’s Test cricketers were all gathered together on the same field of play was at Sydney four-and-a-half months ago, when the squad parked itself on the grass, close to the spot where Chris Tremlett had earlier dismissed Australia’s No. 11 Michael Beer, and celebrated the retention of the Ashes with stubbies, cigars, and reminiscences of a job well done.On Thursday in Cardiff the team picks up where it left off. Or at least, that is the intention. Stuart Law, Sri Lanka’s interim coach, has described Andrew Strauss’s Test team as the “toughest deal on the planet”, and to judge from the way they obliterated Australia he may have a point. Nevertheless, that was then and this is now. The onus for England is to replicate that Ashes intensity, while at the same time drawing a line under that very achievement, and turning their eyes to the future. It’s the sort of challenge that they’ve struggled to surmount in the past.”It is the only way we can look at it, we have got to look forward,” said Strauss. “We have got to learn lessons from what we did well in Australia and put those into practice again but our goals have shifted completely now. We achieved quite an important goal for us as a side to win out there in Australia but our goals now have turned towards this summer and beyond.”The challenge that awaits is, on the face of it, a routine one. Sri Lanka may have crushed England by 10 wickets in Colombo in their last meeting at the World Cup back in March, but the switch of formats and continents changes the dynamic significantly. Sri Lanka have not played a Test match outside of Asia since the tour of West Indies in April 2008, and with an untried captain in Tillakaratne Dilshan, and an under-rated bowling attack shorn of the retired Muttiah Muralitharan, the reluctant Lasith Malinga and even the uncapped Nuwan Pradeep, their immediate prospects are not the rosiest.And yet, to under-estimate Sri Lanka is to invite embarrassment, as England have discovered all too often in recent meetings. Five years ago, in their first home series since the 2005 Ashes, England failed to close out a Lord’s Test that they had dominated from day one, and ended up being mugged by Muralitharan on a spinning deck at Trent Bridge. Four years prior to that they were batted to a standstill by Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene, and forced to follow on, while Jayawardene, who is returning for his fourth Test tour of England, is the sole survivor of Sri Lanka’s finest hour in this country, the Oval Test victory of 1998.Plenty of precedents of which to take note, then, and even on this current trip Sri Lanka have retained their capacity to surprise. Strauss himself ended up on the losing side for Middlesex at Uxbridge despite opening the match with a big hundred, while the England Lions suffered an even more remarkable set-back at Derby last week, when they were stunned by a final-day turnaround despite securing a first-innings lead of 227.”They are a very good side,” said Strauss. “In both games they have played they have come back from difficult positions in the match and come back to win those games. We will not be taking that lightly. They have got some very high-quality players in their ranks and we are under no illusions that we are going to have to be at our best to overcome their challenge.”Whatever early-season rust may exist for England, it is surely preferable to the end-of-odyssey exhaustion that afflicted the squad in the latter stages of the World Cup. Their replenished enthusiasm was evident as Strauss likened the reconvening to the “first day of school”, but he stopped short of trumpeting the Cardiff Test as a homecoming for England’s Ashes heroes. The Barmy Army have their own plans to honour the players for their efforts, but too much time and distance has elapsed for any self-congratulations.”If we were going to have a homecoming that would have taken place a long time ago,” said Strauss. “This is the start of a new cycle in a way. It is start of a very busy and difficult summer for us and it is obviously hopefully an opportunity for us to make a step forward to becoming No. 1 in the world. That excites us and I think for us to be thinking too much back to what happened in Sydney at this stage is not helpful.”

This is the start of a new cycle in a way. It is start of a very busy and difficult summer for us and it is obviously hopefully an opportunity for us to make a step forward to becoming No. 1 in the worldAndrew Strauss on England’s summer

Strauss himself intends to have plenty more opportunities to obsess about the Ashes in years to come, with the back-to-back series in 2013-14 his obvious end-game now that he has retired from one-day cricket. But as Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan proved at the tail-end of their own careers, the end when it comes can be swift and unforeseeable. All the more reason, therefore, to savour the here-and-now.”With slightly less demands on my plate there is obviously a chance I could go on longer,” he said. “I just know it is very dangerous to look too far in the future. All I can concentrate on is trying to do as well as I can for the time being, and mentally I feel very fresh. In a way it is quite a nice thing to concentrate on one format and make sure my game is in as good order as possible for one format, rather than drifting between all formats.”Come June and the start of the one-day leg of Sri Lanka’s tour, Alastair Cook will be the man in the hot seat, as he seeks to justify his elevation to ODI captain despite not having featured in the side for almost 18 months. By then, however, he will have had three Tests to restate his run-scoring credentials, and while returns as prolific as his 766 runs in the Ashes might not come about every day, Strauss was confident that the forgotten hero of England’s winter would settle back into the squad without a glitch.”He’s really pleased to be back among the group,” said Strauss. “He’s been away quite a long time and there’s been quite a lot of water passed under the bridge since that Sydney Test match. He’ll be really desperate to reconnect to what he was doing well in that Ashes series and there’s no reason why he can’t do that. We can’t expect him to average 90 every series but if he can have a good series at the top of the order that makes it easier for the guys lower down.”Because of Paul Collingwood’s retirement, it will not be a complete reunion for England, though the selections of Eoin Morgan and Steven Finn in the 12-man squad ensure a level of continuity that Sri Lanka cannot hope to replicate. The personnel who excelled in Australia are all present and correct. All that remains to be addressed is the attitude.”If we drift into the summer and don’t hit top gear straightaway, the No. 1 spot could seem like a long way off,” said Strauss. “There’s a lot of motivation now for us to take the next step. I will be very disappointed if any of the players are resting on their laurels or anything like that. But we need to hit ground running. There is no doubt about that.”

Ireland were given a rude awakening by Scotland at the Grange, as their oldest rivals showed them that they can no longer rest on their laurels as No. 1 Associate nation

The Bulletin by Ger Siggins in Edinburgh 12-Jul-2011
Scorecard Paul Stirling’s excellent hundred wasn’t enough as Scotland chased down a huge total•Associated PressIreland were given a rude awakening by Scotland at the Grange, as their oldest rivals showed them that they can no longer rest on their laurels as No. 1 Associate nation.Despite scoring their third-highest ODI score, Ireland slipped to a five-wicket defeat with nine balls to spare. It ended a run of seven limited-over wins in succession for Ireland over Scotland, and gave the latter the Celtic-nations bragging rights for now.On an excellent batting pitch, Scotland made nonsense of the form book and history books as they chased 321 to win. Ireland’s bowlers never found their length and were put to the sword by some breath-taking batting.Richie Berrington’s 56 off 23 balls was the final blow, but the opening stand of 129 between Kyle Coetzer (89) and Fraser Watts (54) set Scotland on their way as Boyd Rankin and Trent Johnston misfired.It was quite a shock to most of the vibrant Edinburgh crowd, who had seen Paul Stirling’s third century in four ODIs spur Ireland to a commanding 320 for 8 earlier. Stirling’s thunderous innings of 113 was backed up by a typically-measured 71 by Alex Cusack and a breezy fifty by Andrew Poynter.Stirling was perhaps stirred into belligerent style – his hundred came up in 83 balls – by a communication from his county. Middlesex told him to report to the second XI at the conclusion of this tournament, as his services would not be required this week by the first team.Stirling was given every assistance by the home bowlers, who squandered the toss by bowling far too short and wide of the stumps. Scotland’s raw opening bowler, Safyaan Sharif, saw a six and a four disappear off Stirling’s bat over cover in his first over, before William Porterfield took consecutive boundaries off his third.The Irish opening stand sailed past fifty in the ninth over, before a bowling change brought Scotland a breakthrough. Porterfield tried to hit Josh Davey over the top and instead skied to Coetzer at mid-on. Cusack joined Stirling, and settled into his favoured role of second fiddle.Stirling raced to his fifty off 45 balls as the 100 was raised in 18.2 overs. Scotland skipper Gordon Drummond made frequent changes as bowler after bowler failed to quell Stirling and Cusack.By the 22nd over he was on to his seventh bowler, Kyle Coetzer, but he was whipped out of the attack when his third over was plundered by Stirling. The second ball sailed into the crowd at extra cover, and three balls later he disappeared into the distance, the ball still rising as it flew over the wall surrounding the picturesque Grange ground.Stirling raised his century off 83 balls in the 28th over, and had time for a sixth six before he fell to Majid Haq. In the absence of Niall O’Brien, Andrew Poynter took a rare chance toshow his class, and pulled and swept powerfully while Cusack continued to accumulate.Poynter’s fifty came up in 33 balls. He perished at the hands of the eighth bowler Drummond used, South African-born Preston Mommsen. The innocuous-looking offspinner kept his lines tight and picked up 3 for 26 off five tidy overs. His second scalp was Kevin O’Brien, who was surprised by the bounce of the first ball he received, which he proceeded to steer into the diving, outstretched hand of Majid Haq at short third man.The Irish lower middle order is well-practised in finishing an innings, and Gary Wilson and Trent Johnston ensured the total reached 320.But some stirring batting from Scotland made the target look innocuous. Trent Johnston laboured hard, but his lack of match-practice told. In the last ten weeks he has bowled just 25 overs, all for Ireland, as he has been forbidden by Cricket Ireland from turning his arm over for his club Railway Union .George Dockrelll ended the opening stand when Watts missed a sweep, but the Somerset youngster never settled and bowled his ten overs in five spells. Coetzer continued his purple patch, getting his fourth consecutive ODI half-century, and equalling his career-best score of 89, set two weeks ago against Netherlands. He fell to Rankin who got a pearler to take the top of off stump.Berrington took up the baton however and a blistering batting Powerplay of 65 runs ensured victory was comfortably secured. He hit six sixes, most of them over the tennis courts into Arboretum Avenue.Ireland coach Phil SImmons said he was “disappointed rather than angry” at his charges. “Its the sort of kick they need sometimes,” he said. “They need to learn not to underestimate anybody.”They did it last week against Namibia and got away with it. But today we lost intensity and its hard to get momentum back when that happens.”When Ireland beat England in Bangalore during the World Cup, they celebrated in the team hotel by singing “Are You Scotland in Disguise?” as they encountered the England players.As the Scotland players celebrated in their dressing room last night, one wag was tempted to lead them in a chorus of “Are You England in Disguise?”

A round up of the first day of matches of the European Championship Division One Twenty20

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jul-2011Group AAustria beat Gibraltar by six runs in Port Soif, on the first day of the European Championship Division One Twenty20. Having been asked to bat, Austria put up n 141 in 19.1 overs, mainly due to handy cameos from the lower order. Gibraltar fell just short of the target, finishing on 135 for 8, despite an unbeaten knock of 66 from 60 balls by Mark Bacarese.Italy chased down 90 in a tight game against Croatia in St Peter Port, winning by one wicket. Choosing to bat, Croatia’s innings lacked momentum, as they limped to 89 despite having four wickets in hand at the end of their 20 overs. Italy were not convincing in the chase, but sneaked home on the back of a knock of 26 not out from middle-order batsman Damian Crowley. Croatia’s fast bowlers John Vujnovich and Vivek Sharma were impressive, claiming three wickets each in tidy spells.Guernsey registered a comprehensive 10-wicket win against Norway at Castel. Choosing to bowl they shot out Norway for 57, before openers Tim Ravenscroft and Ross Kneller chased down the target in 7.1 overs. James Nussbaumer was the pick of their bowlers, knocking over three top-order Norway batsmen and conceding only seven runs in a 3.2-over spell.In their second game of the day Italy turned out an improved performance, easing past Austria by seven wickets in Castel. Batting first, Austria were bowled out for 105 in 19th over, as none of their top order were able to build on double-digit starts. Peter Petricola did most of the damage with the ball, claiming 4 for 20. Steady batting from Italy in the chase saw them through without much drama.Norway recovered well from their one-sided defeat against Guernsey to beat Gibraltar by a comfortable eight-wicket margin in Port Soif. Batting first, Gibraltar managed only 77 for 8 in their 20. Legspinner Muhammad Butt produced the best figures of the game, 3 for 13, before Norway’s batsmen clicked. Driven by an innings of 35 from 20 balls by Zaheer Ashiq, they knocked off the runs 62 balls to spare.Guernsey remained unbeaten on day one, beating Croatia by three wickets with an over to spare in St Peter Port. Chasing 98, the Guernsey top order was shaky and wickets fell at regular intervals, but a steady 34 from Stuart Le Prevost and a couple of timely lower-order cameos saw them home.Group BBelgium beat France by five wickets with two balls to spare in St Clement. Choosing to bat, France’s innings was hampered as both openers were run out. There were no sizeable contributions from the rest of the order, as they folded for 114 in exactly 20 overs. In the chase, four of Belgium’s top five batsmen got into double figures, ensuring their side began with a win.Denmark eased past Israel by eight wickets in St Martin, chasing down a target of 95 with five overs to spare. Denmark’s ploy of bowling first worked, as their bowlers shared the wickets around in tidy spells to restrict Israel to 94 for 9. The chase was steered by a fluent, unbeaten 44 from opener Freddie Klokker.A solid all-round performance helped Jersey beat Germany by six wickets in St Brelade. Choosing to field, Jersey kept Germany to 99 for 7. Only middle-order batsman Imran Chaudhry was able to launch an attack, scoring 36 off 25, before being bowled by Anthony Hawkins-Kay who claimed 3 for 13. Jersey were solid in the chase. Their top order produced steady cameos, which carried them to a win in the 17th over.Belgium won a nail-biter against Denmark by one run when last man Sair Anjum was caught off the bowling of Faisal Khaliq with two to get and three balls remaining in St Clement. Having chosen to bat, Belgium were bowled out for a modest 104. Bobby Chawla was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3 for 13. Denmark got off to horrendous start, losing half their side with only 19 runs on the board. However, a lower-order resurgence saw them fight back to within touching distance of victory, but Belgium, and Khaliq, eventually had the final say to remain unbeaten after two games.Tony Carlyon starred with the ball and Dean Martin with the bat as Jersey routed Israel by eight wickets in St. Martin. Put in to bat by Jersey, Israel crawled to 87 all out from their 20 overs, with Carlyon taking 4 for 9 in four overs. He was ably backed up Anthony Hawkins-Kay, who took 3 for 16. Martin then made sure there would be no jitters chasing the small total with a brutal, unbeaten 64 from 44 balls, laced with three fours and five sixes, to see Jersey home with eight overs to spare.An allround bowling performance helped France beat Germany by 34 runs in St Brelade. Put into bat, France managed 126 for 7, with Usman Khan top scoring with 36. Germany struggled from the start, losing wickets at regular intervals, and were bundled out for 92 in 18.3 overs. Zika Ali picked up 3 for 17, while Usman chipped in with the ball as well, taking 2 for 22.

Kent won their second successive County Championship match in Canterbury and dented the promotion push of second-placed Middlesex by claiming a battling 69-run victory on the final afternoon at St Lawrence

20-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Kent won their second successive County Championship match in Canterbury and dented the promotion push of second-placed Middlesex by claiming a battling 69-run victory on the final afternoon at St Lawrence.The hosts wrapped up their fourth win of the Division Two campaign three overs into the final hour of the game to bank 20 points, while Middlesex went home with six after suffering only their second defeat of the summer.Having taken Kent’s four remaining second-innings wickets at the start of the day to dismiss the hosts for 332 – their second highest championship total at Canterbury this season – Middlesex were left with 80 overs to chase a victory target of 272 at an asking rate of 3.38 an over. Yet survival quickly became a more realistic ambition for the visitors after they slumped to 30 for four shortly after lunch.Matt Coles, taking the new ball for the first time in a year, started the rout with one that cut back off the seam to graze Scott Newman’s inside edge before plucking out off stump. Then, four scheduled deliveries before the lunch break, Stevens swung one away from Sam Robson to have the right-hander caught at second slip for 12.With his first delivery after the interval Stevens feathered the outside edge of Dawid Malan’s bat to give wicket-keeper Geraint Jones a regulation catch. Then, two balls later, Neil Dexter’s dire run of form continued with a third successive championship duck when he edged to second slip.Only 21 runs on, Chris Rogers – in aiming to work to leg – played all around a Stevens’ in-swinger to go for 26, and with 100 on the board, John Simpson (19) fenced at the second delivery of the innings from Wahab Riaz to be caught behind.Jamie Dalrymple and Tom Smith (seven) dug in to add 48 in 20 overs for the seventh wicket, but soon after tea, and with 124 runs required, Adam Ball broke through and emulated Stevens by taking two wickets in as many balls.Smith followed one outside off to edge low to third slip, then Tim Murtagh had his off stump pegged back by a first-ball yorker. Dalrymple farmed the strike intelligently to reach a 150-ball century – the first of the match – with 10 fours and two sixes.Steven Finn departed two overs later after allowing one from James Tredwell to squeeze through bat and pad and roll onto the stumps, then the off-spinner rushed one through Corey Colleymore’s back-foot defensive push to wrap up the win shortly after 5.30pm.The fourth day began with a high-class exhibition of new ball bowling by Finn who, after being released from the England squad on duty at the Oval, joined the game on day two to claim an eventual haul of five for 113. The willowy paceman accounted for James Tredwell with his fourth ball of the day, and with the first delivery of his next over sent Ball packing to another catch at the wicket.Murtagh then extracted extra bounce to graze the edge of Matthew Coles’ bat and give keeper Simpson his third catch of the session and sixth of the game. Eight runs short of a deserved hundred, Azhar Mahmood lost his 10th wicket partner and countryman, Wahab Riaz, pinned leg before by a shooting off-cutter by Murtagh to leave Mahmood unbeaten on 92 from 140 balls. He hit eight fours and two sixes.

Most of the matches at the end of the group stages are knockouts and this one between Somerset and Warriors is no different

The Preview by Firdose Moonda04-Oct-2011Match factsSomerset v Warriors, October 5, Bangalore
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Can Somerset pick themselves up after the thrashing against Royal Challengers Bangalore?•AFPBig PictureMost of the matches at the end of the group stages are almost knockouts and this one is no different. Its crunch time for Warriors and Somerset and given the rivalry that exists between South Africa and England, they will want to do each other no favours.Warriors will want to avoid a backdoor entry into the semi-finals and victory against Somerset will take them through. If they lose by a small margin, though, and Royal Challengers Bangalore also beat South Australia by a small margin in the second game of the day, Warriors will still qualify. It’s a simpler equation for Somerset, who must win to claim a semi-final spot, otherwise they will be on their way home.Warriors were Champions League runners-up in 2010 and are the only South African team left in this tournament, after Cobras crashed out against Trinidad & Tobago. They have asserted their authority on the competition and, with their dynamic bowling attack as their trump card, have the right ingredients to go further. However, Mark Boucher’s injury ahead of the match could hamper them. Boucher strained his hamstring, and though he tweeted that it was “not too serious”, will miss the rest of the CLT20. Somerset came through the qualifying stage and were convincing throughout, until they were beaten by Chris Gayle.Watch out for …After another snub from South Africa’s selectors for the home series against Australia, Roelof van der Merwe will have more to play for than just another match for his county. van der Merwe made a statement with his performances in a qualifying match and a group game against Kolkata Knight Riders, but was poor against Bangalore. He will also be competing against countrymen and team-mates, which should add some extra spice to the contest against Warriors.Team newsWarriors have stuck to the three-pronged pace attack of Wayne Parnell, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Rusty Theron and have no reason to change that. Lyall Meyer and Craig Thyssen are still competing for the allrounders spot but Warriors are not likely to tinker too much with their XI.Somerset may consider benching left-arm spinner George Dockerell, who went for 28 in two overs against the Royal Challengers in Bangalore.Pitch and conditionsThe pitches in Bangalore have been the best to bat on in the Champions League and teams have preferred to chase at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The surfaces have been true, with ball coming on to the bat, and boundaries are short. There’s been rain in the city in the lead-up to the game, but the forecast for Wednesday is clear.Stats and triviaWarriors hold the record for the highest partnership in the Champions League. Davy Jacobs and Ashwell Prince put on 147 for the first wicket against the Central Stags in 2010.Somerset reached the final of the Friends Life t20 with no bowlers and only one batsman, Marcus Trescothick, among the top 10 in the county rankings.Quotes”We are still one of the better teams here at this tournament. Rather get the shaky performances out the way and iron the creases before it gets to the knockout stages.”

“There might be days when a part-time keeper does the job well, but you need to find a wicketkeeper for the job or there can be some fatal errors.”

Former USA Cricket Assocation vice-president Nabeel Ahmed, who resigned last year, has accused the board of using a compliance review to try to manipulate the forthcoming elections

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2011Former USA Cricket Assocation vice-president Nabeel Ahmed, who resigned last year, has accused the board of using a compliance review to try to manipulate the forthcoming elections.”Why is there a need for a compliance review process at this time when it has never happened ever before?,” he said. “Has the math changed with the leagues voting the current administration out?”Ahmed continued that while the regions were being given one set of rules, USACA was operating under another and was almost completely unaccountable for its actions.”Elections that are long overdue [have] been procrastinated into indefinite schedule violating the constitutional requirements. It is a delaying tactics for this compliance process to take place four weeks prior to the announced election date. Who says it is not the height of non-governance.”It will be an interesting scenario where the USACA compliance planned to be conducted now results in certain member leagues losing the voting rights because of non-compliance to be declared. There are administrative holes created and will become bigger with all these smart moves by the USACA administration which includes a few select individual executives inclusive of the office bearers selected on a telephone conference call.”Will it not be considered a misrepresentation of the earlier data which was submitted to ICC from the office of Cricket Operations and in return the status of the associate membership with ICC getting into jeopardy?”

Zaka Ashraf, a top banker and businessman, is understood to have been picked as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board succeeding Ijaz Butt

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2011Zaka Ashraf, a top banker and businessman, is understood to have been picked as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board succeeding Ijaz Butt, though a formal announcement to that effect is awaited. Ashraf is president of the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited and a close confidant of Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, who as Patron of the board will make the formal appointment.The news has not been officially confirmed by the PCB and in fact senior officials insisted that no decision had been taken; Butt, who is on an extension of tenure, himself told reporters he was not aware of any notification and would be at his office on Wednesday morning. However, Ashraf’s name was all over the Pakistani media, including, significantly, the government-run PTV channel.Ashraf himself appeared on private TV channels and spoke at length about his plans for the PCB. His priority, he said, was to improve Pakistan cricket’s image abroad after a series of high-profile scandals. “I will work day and night to live up to President Zardari’s confidence. My top priority will be to improve Pakistan’s cricket image and stop bookies and match-fixers.”He also said he would try to improve relations with other cricket boards – including India, with whom sporting and diplomatic ties have stalled after a terrorist attack on Mumbai in 2008. “People in both Pakistan and India love cricket so I will try to resume ties,” he was quoted as saying.Ashraf’s three-year term as president of ZTBL ended on September 3, 2011, and he is expected not to carry on in the position once he takes over his duties as PCB chairman. ZTBL is one of Pakistan’s top public-sector banks and is also represented by a team in Division One of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the domestic first-class competition. The team features several players who have played for Pakistan, including Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Hameed, Imran Nazir and Zulqarnain Haider.Apart from being president of ZTBL, Ashraf is co-chairman of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association, Punjab zone. He reportedly studied with Pakistan’s president Asif Ali Zardari in college and stayed in the same hostel.Butt, whose three-year tenure ended on October 8, had attended the ICC executive board meeting in Dubai on October 10 with an extension of his tenure under consideration. His term was plagued with controversies, including the armed attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore that resulted in Pakistan being denied the chance to co-host the 2011 World Cup, the spot-fixing scandal (and the problems with the ECB in its aftermath when Butt made controversial accusations against the England team), Zulqarnain Haider’s fleeing to the UK mid-way through a tour after receiving threats from bookies and, most recently, a much-publicised clash with Shahid Afridi.

The Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) has asked the BCCI to restore Test status to the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, according to an association official

Tariq Engineer04-Dec-2011The Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) has asked the BCCI to restore Test status to the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, according to an association official. Cuttack hosted the first India v West Indies ODI on Tuesday, its first international match in just under two years, played in front of a full house of 45,000.”We have sent the BCCI a letter,” Ashirbad Behera, the OCA secretary, told ESPNcricinfo. “Make us a Test centre [once more]. Tests may not get 45,000, but you will get 50% attendance.”Cuttack had previously hosted two Tests, among 18 international matches, since becoming an international venue in 1982. In the first Test played in 1987, India rolled Sri Lanka over twice on an underprepared track affording vastly unpredictable bounce. The other Test match, against New Zealand in 1995-96, was badly affected by rain, allowing less than 180 overs of playing time.According to Behera, the letter was sent a few months ago but they have yet to hear from the BCCI. The association plans to broach the matter with the Indian board at the latter’s annual award’s function that is scheduled for later this month in Chennai.In the past, some visiting sides have expressed their qualms about having to travel to the stadium from Bhubaneshwar, where the teams usually stay because of the lack of an airport and quality accommodation in Cuttack. But Behera said that thanks to the national highway, the stadium is now only 35 minutes away instead of the hour it used to take. Given the traffic you encounter in the likes of Kolkata and Mumbai these days, he said, that is not much longer than it would take to get to Eden Gardens from the Taj Bengal in Kolkata.During the ODI on Tuesday, there was a period of concern during India’s chase. It wasn’t entirely clear what happened, but West Indies captain Darren Sammy called his team-mates to the middle after a disturbance in the outfield. Play was held up for several minutes as a large number of policemen were stationed near the stand where the problem occurred. Behera, though, said that the fans’ passion was one of reasons to have more matches at the venue. “The crowd is cricket-crazy but disciplined,” he said. “And they will stay until the last ball.”

A round-up of the opening day’s play of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2011Sixteen wickets fell on the opening day at the Lahore City Cricket Association as Pakistan International Airlines shot out Habib Bank Limited for 128, only to suffer similar batting woes of their own. Ali Imran, the right-arm seamer, ran through the HBL line-up with 6 for 45. It could have been worse for HBL as they were floundering at one stage at 51 for 8. Fahad Masood retaliated with 44 off 63 balls, and Danish Kaneria scored 20 to take the score past 100. PIA got off to a shaky start, at 14 for 2 but recovered thanks to Kamran Sajid and Faisal Iqbal. However, they slid from 86 for 2 to 103 for 6. Sarmad Anwar rattled the middle order with three wickets. Sarfraz Ahmed remained unbeaten on 28 to give his team the first-innings lead.Ahmed Iqbal’s unbeaten 73 was the highlight of the day at the National Stadium in Karachi as Karachi Blues ended on 251 for 7 against Islamabad. Mohammad Bilal scored 42 at No.3 before Karachi were in a spot of bother at 107 for 5. The lower middle-order chipped in with 30s to support Iqbal to lift the score past 200. Sohail Khan and Iqbal remained unbeaten. The wickets were spread out amongst the bowlers.Half-centuries by Fawad Alam and Qaiser Abbas helped rescue National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) from a precarious 17 for 3 to a more respectable 274 for 7 against Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) at the Gaddafi Stadium. Imran Khan, the right-arm seamer, made early inroads to give WAPDA the early advantage. Fawad resisted with a brisk 65 off 79 balls with ten fours. Qaiser received support from the lower order as he scored a more patient 84, off 143 balls. He remained unbeaten with Wahab Riaz, who was on 28. Imran ended the day with 4 for 82.Haris Sohail’s century helped rescue Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) from an early wobble against State Bank of Pakistan in Islamabad. The left-arm spinner Mohammad Ali struck early to leave ZTBL at 42 for 4. Haris got together with Sohail Tanvir to add 108 for the sixth wicket. Tanvir made 68, hitting eight fours and a six while Haris made 106 off 189 balls with 16 fours. Both fell to the left-arm seamer Nazar Hussain late in the day. ZTBL ended the day at 256 for 7.A four-wicket haul by Ahmed Jamal helped Abbottabad bowl out Rawalpindi for 215 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Abbottabad lost two wickets but ended the day at a relatively safe 73. Jamal took three top-order wickets and that left Rawalpindi in a bit of trouble at 64 for 5. The recovery came via Jamal Anwar and Akhlaq Ahmed, who scored 43 each. Jamal finished off the innings to finish with 4 for 57. Abbottabad lost Rameez Ahmed early before Hammad Ali and Mir Azam ensured their team held the advantage going into the second day.Mohammad Ayub’s 118 and fifties by Mohammad Yasin and Mansoor Amjad ensured that Sialkot ended the opening day on a strong 329 for 5 against Faisalabad at Jinnah Stadium. The opener Yasin made 53 to ensure that Sialkot got off to a steady start. Ayub and Amjad got together for a stand of 117 for the fourth wicket. Amjab made 72 off 102 balls while Ayub made 118 off 156 balls with 17 fours. Shehzad Malik and Rizwan Sultan were unbeaten at stumps.

A round-up of the semi-finals from the Caribbean T20

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2012Jamaica sealed their place in the final of the Caribbean T20 with a comfortable win over Windward Islands at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. Windwards had won four games on the trot in the lead-up to the semis but lost their way with the bat in a crunch game. Opting to bat, they failed to capitalise and soon found themselves struggling at 36 for 4. Only opener Johnson Charles and wicketkeeper Lindon James made any significant contributions with a run-a-ball 29 and a steady, unbeaten 37 respectively.The pair added 40 for the fifth wicket but tight bowling prevented the surge that Windwards would have desired in the late overs. In the end, they had to settle for 98 for 8 in 20 overs. Seamer Krishmar Santokie followed up on his hat-trick in the previous game with two wickets, supported by Sheldon Cotterrell and Odean Brown who also picked up two each.Jamaica suffered a setback in their chase when they lost three wickets for three runs, slipping from 33 for no loss to 36 for 3. But Marlon Samuels and captain David Bernard steadied the innings with a 37-run stand. Both fell in quick succession, within a space of five runs, but Carlton Baugh, the wicketkeeper, and Andre Russell batted calmly in an unbeaten 21-run stand to see their team through with two overs to spare.Trinidad and Tobago hammered Barbados at the Kensington Oval to book a final clash with Jamaica. On a day where a three-digit score wasn’t reached, Barbados, after choosing to bat, were skittled out for 90. After a 17-run opening-wicket stand, their innings never really got going and persistent strikes kept them to a below-par score. Wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich top-scored with 21 but the T&T bowlers cut through the rest of the line-up. Dwayne Bravo led the way with three wickets, and was assisted by Kevon Cooper, Sunil Narine and Samuel Badree, each of whom picked up two wickets in miserly spells.Early strikes by Ryan Hinds and Fidel Edwards left T&T in some trouble in the chase, reducing them to 45 for 5 at one stage. But Kieron Pollard came to his team’s rescue, making an unbeaten 31 off 23 balls, hitting three fours and two sixes, and adding a match-winning 48 with Jason Mohammed. T&T won with six overs to spare.The final between Jamaica and T&T will be played on January 22. Barbados play Windwards for the third-place play-off on the same day.