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Manchester City are back on the road once again as Pep Guardiola’s side travel to Molineux to take on Wolves for their penultimate away game of the season.

Having seen off Newcastle United in their previous clash at the Etihad Stadium with an impressive scoreline of 5-0, the Citizens will want to repeat that result this time around as they close in on the league title.

Heading into tonight’s showdown against Bruno Lage’s side, it seems as though the away side have been handed a significant triple injury boost that will surely be a big lift for their chances of securing another win.

What’s the news?

A Twitter post from The Athletic’s Wolves correspondent Tim Spiers relayed comments made by the Midlands club’s first-team fitness coach Carlos Cachada during yesterday’s press conference.

On the topic of current injury issues in the Wolves squad, Cachada revealed that the trio of Daniel Podence, Nelson Semedo and Max Kilman will not be available to play against City through injury.

Great news for Pep

With two defenders and an attacker out for the home team, this will be a big blow for them as they prepare to face a City side that boasts the best attack and defence in the entire league.

As for City, it will be a big boost to their chances of getting a win, an eventuality that would leave Pep Guardiola thrilled, especially if his team can capitalise and seal all three points.

Taking into account how the defensive duo of Semedo and Kilman have racked up a combined total of 220 tackles and interceptions together in the league this season, this would definitely weaken their sturdy defence, one that has shipped just 34 times all term.

As for Podence, only three other Wolves players have delivered more goal contributions than the winger, who has two strikes and three assists to his name.

With City having their own defensive injuries with the trio of Ruben Dias, John Stones and Kyle Walker out for the rest of the season, having Podence out of the frame tonight will be a big relief for Guardiola as well.

Moving forward, the only thing on the Manchester club’s mind will undoubtedly be to get all three points no matter which players are fit enough to play on both sides.

In other news: David Ornstein drops big Man City transfer development, supporters will be gutted

India’s dream of a World Cup triumph at home is one step closer after their bowlers suffocated Pakistan’s batsmen to set up a 29-run victory in the semi-final in Mohali

The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale30-Mar-2011India 260 for 9 (Tendulkar 85, Riaz 5-46) beat Pakistan 231 (Misbah 56) by 29 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAFPIndia’s dream of a World Cup triumph at home is one step closer after their bowlers suffocated Pakistan’s batsmen to set up a 29-run victory in the semi-final in Mohali. Saturday’s decider will now be a battle of the hosts, and while Sri Lanka might have been surprised by the strength of India’s bowling effort, they would also have taken note of a slightly lacklustre batting performance.In the end, India’s 260 for 9 was enough as their bowlers did a fine job, but had Pakistan helped themselves, the target could have been so much more gettable. Sachin Tendulkar was dropped four times in his 85, MS Dhoni was put down once and while Wahab Riaz was extremely impressive in collecting five wickets, Umar Gul had one of his most forgettable days, wilting under the pressure of a World Cup semi-final.By contrast, India’s display in the field was much more professional, and that was the difference in a match that lived up to the extreme pre-match hype. The decision to leave R Ashwin out to make room for Ashish Nehra was an odd choice on a pitch offering plenty of spin, but Nehra and his bowling colleagues built the pressure and gave Pakistan’s batsmen little to attack after they made a promising start and reached 70 for 1.The Indians didn’t give away an extra until the 37th over of the innings, and the way they put together strings of dot balls and tight overs was key to their success. Munaf Patel picked up two victims and Yuvraj Singh made up for his golden duck with a pair of wickets, but the most important breakthrough came when Harbhajan Singh bowled Umar Akmal for 29.Akmal had struck a pair of sixes off Yuvraj, driving him over the sight screen and pulling him over midwicket, and anything was possible while he was at the crease. But Dhoni called on Harbhajan to replace Yuvraj, and with the first ball of his spell he came around the wicket and pushed one across Akmal, taking the off stump when the batsman played for the spin.Shahid Afridi also fell to Harbhajan when he skied a catch off a full toss, and the obdurate Misbah-ul-Haq was left to steer the chase. He found it difficult to lift his tempo and was the last man out, caught on the boundary for 56 in the final over, but he ate up 76 deliveries and had he shown some more intent earlier, Pakistan might have had a chance.It was a disappointing end for Pakistan after their top order gave them hope. Mohammad Hafeez made an encouraging 43 before a string of eight dot balls from Munaf brought a brain-fade as Hafeez tried a premeditated paddle sweep from outside off stump and edged behind to Dhoni.Soon after, the loss of Asad Shafiq brought the Mohali crowd to life, when he tried to cut a Yuvraj delivery that was much too full and straight, and the middle stump was knocked back. Shafiq had made 30 and had displayed a cool temperament until that point, but the required run-rate started to balloon, and Pakistan never recovered.But while India have booked a place in the final, they must hope they haven’t used all their good fortune too soon. Tendulkar might be the finest batsman of his generation, but today he was the luckiest, dropped on 27, 45, 70 and 81. It seemed as though he was going to bring up his 100th international century with one of his least convincing innings.Misbah at midwicket was the first to put him down, before Younis Khan spilled a regulation chance at cover, both off the bowling of Afridi. The third opportunity came when Kamran Akmal didn’t move his hands quickly enough to a thick edge, again off Afridi, and while that was a tough opportunity, a pull to Umar at mid-on from the offspin of Hafeez should have been taken.Before he had any of those lives, Tendulkar had survived two very tight calls on 23: an lbw decision that was given out by Ian Gould but on review proved to be spinning down leg, and a near-stumping the next delivery when he just got his back foot down in time after losing his balance reaching outside off. When Tendulkar was finally taken at cover by Afridi off the bowling of Ajmal, Pakistan’s relief was evident.Soon after, a scratchy Dhoni, who was also dropped by Kamran, made the mistake of challenging Simon Taufel on an lbw decision. Dhoni had 25 when he missed a Riaz delivery that pitched just in line and was hitting the stumps. It was the second outstanding call by Taufel, who had given Virender Sehwag lbw in a similar fashion earlier, even though the left-armer’s angle meant pitching outside leg was a possibility.Riaz was the man who Afridi had to thank for keeping Pakistan in the contest after India made a strong start and reached 114 for 1 off their first 18 overs. After Gautam Gambhir was stumped wandering down the pitch against Hafeez, Riaz grabbed two wickets in two balls – Virat Kohli caught at backward point and Yuvraj bowled by a low full toss for a golden duck.Nobody looked as fluent as the crease as Sehwag, who took 21 off Gul (0 for 69) from the third over of the innings. What looked like a 300-plus total in those early overs became 260 when Suresh Raina helped them recover from their middle-order failures.It was enough, but India’s batsmen will need to improve if they want to lift the trophy on Saturday. For now, they can dream of their first World Cup in 28 years.Match Timeline

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Deccan Chargers and Pune Warriors Indians in Hyderabad

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran09-May-2011Match factsTuesday, May 10, Hyderabad
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)The fielding of both teams will be in focus•Associated PressBig PictureBoth these teams know that they are all-but-mathematically eliminated from the race for the play-offs. That makes the task of motivating the teams even harder for two captains who haven’t had the best of times in the IPL, Yuvraj Singh and Kumar Sangakkara. The two were team-mates during the first three seasons at Kings XI Punjab, a team which floundered in 2010 and the dismal form has continued for them this season as well.One area that Deccan Chargers will definitely need to lift is their fielding. Both of the defeats over the past week came after the a series of fielding lapses allowed the Man of the Match to turn in a game-changing performance. Yusuf Pathan was reprieved three times as he launched a late onslaught to power Kolkata Knight Riders to a tall score, and Virender Sehwag’s masterpiece had several slices of luck as well.What Pune Warriors will have to be wary about is Deccan’s new-ball attack. Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma are forming a potent combination, and will pose a big threat to the Pune top-order. Deccan’s back-up bowling hasn’t been as threatening though, and if Pune are a touch cautious early on, they could capitalise when the weaker links come into the attack.Form guide (most recent first)Pune: WLLLL (eighth in points table)
Deccan: LLLWL (ninth in points table)Team talkDeccan’s trouble has been that their overseas players have done moderately well, but not well enough to win matches. They could consider giving Michael Lumb a game to give them the impetus at the start, in place of either JP Duminy or Dan Christian.Pune made plenty of changes in their previous match to finally end their losing streak. If Sourav Ganguly is deemed match fit, he is likely to slot in at the top of the order, perhaps taking the place of Jesse Ryder. That frees up an overseas slot for Jerome Taylor to return, perhaps in place of Shrikant Wagh.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team Selector.In the spotlightPune bet big on Robin Uthappa but the returns have been modest so far. He is now being used higher up the order, giving him more time to make an impact. He has shown flashes of brilliance, clearing the boundary with ease on occasion, though the finishing skills for which he was bought has seldom been on display.Ishant Sharma has had several outstanding matches this season, with the highlight being his dismantling of Kochi’s top order. He was spot-on in Deccan’s previous match against Delhi as well, and Tuesday’s encounter will be his last chance to convince the national selectors he deserves a spot in the one-day squad for the West Indies tour.Prime numbersAlfonso Thomas has the third-highest number of wickets in T20s, behind Dirk Nannes and Albie MorkelWith 104 sixes, Cameron White is 11th on the list of batsmen with the most Twenty20 sixesKumar Sangakkara has an abysmal captaincy record in IPLs, winning only six of the 23 matches he has led inThe chatter”When I look at my team, I can’t imagine how we lost so many games with that talent. We just haven’t clicked.”
“If you don’t hold on to the chances that you create, especially when that is wicket you need, it is tough to win the game.”

John Morris has been sacked as Derbyshire’s head of cricket midway through their current Championship match against Essex

ESPNcricinfo staff11-May-2011John Morris has been sacked as Derbyshire’s head of cricket midway through their current Championship match against Essex. Andy Brown, his assistant, has also been told his services are no longer required.Morris’s contract was due to expire at the end of September and Brown’s at the end of December but the pair’s departure is immediate, to the extent that they won’t see out the final two days of a Championship game that Derbyshire are well-placed to win.Derbyshire have only won one of their first four Championship games but are top of Group A in the Clydesdale Bank 40 after three wins. Luke Sutton, the captain, will take charge of the team along with academy director Karl Krikken, bowling coach Steffan Jones and committee member Tony Borrington.”After careful consideration, it has been decided not to renew their contracts and both will be released from performing their duties immediately,” Chris Grant, the club chairman, said. “The positions of lead physiotherapist James Pipe, strength and conditioning coach Luke Storey and Second XI coach AJ Harris are unaffected.”I would like to thank both John and Andy for their efforts while they have been employed by Derbyshire and wish them the very best in their future endeavours.”

In a five-over spell of poor discipline, West Indies lost the tour opener, the only Twenty20 international in Port of Spain

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga04-Jun-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outS Badrinath’s 43 took India to a total they could defend•Associated PressDuring a five-over spell of poor discipline, West Indies lost the tour opener, the only Twenty20 international in Port of Spain. Led by Darren Sammy’s four-wicket haul, the hosts bossed India for 15 overs on a spinners’ paradise, but then they dropped a catch, took a wicket off a no-ball, bowled a lot of length, and the 72 runs they conceded in the last five overs proved to be the deciding factor. With two specialists spinners handcuffing the chase, the West Indies batsmen never really threatened India’s total, although they lost only two wickets in the first 15.3 overs.West Indies had been much more clinical for the majority of the first half of the game. Two reprieved men, though, – Rohit Sharma, dropped on 8, and S Badrinath, caught off a no-ball on 25 and not given stumped on 36 – played crucial parts in those five overs that went for 72. India’s first 72 had taken more than 12 overs on a Queen’s Park Oval pitch that had been under covers for most of the week because of rain. It misbehaved profusely: a few deliveries took the top surface with them, and the spinners managed disconcerting turn even without giving the ball much air. To make it worse for India, it drizzled for about the first 12 overs of the innings, but not hard enough to send the players off. There were two massive boundary-less periods: 19 balls at the start and 32 in the middle.The way the ball turned justified India’s call to play two specialist spinners, in Harbhajan Singh and R Aswhin, but West Indies inflicted damage even before spin was introduced. Their captain Sammy exploited the conditions with slower offcutters, slicing a chunk out of India’s batting during an unbroken four-over spell, even as Chris Gayle watched from the stands, dressed in flashy party wear and a cap that said “captain”.Sammy’s first wicket, though, was with a bouncer that cramped the debutant Shikhar Dhawan, and kissed the side of the bat on its way through to Andre Fletcher. Virat Kohli got a massive leading edge to a slower delivery, Parthiv Patel lobbed another offcutter to point, and Suresh Raina heaved to mid-on. Following that, Nurse and Bishoo stifled India, but the turning points came in the 14th and 16th overs.First Nurse passed a maiden international wicket by failing to hold onto a simple return catch from Rohit. Then Rampaul seemed to have got rid of Badrinath, but the replays showed his front foot had landed on the line. The resultant free hit went for four, which should actually have been six because Nurse caught the ball on the full and dived on the boundary rope, and that opened the floodgates.Rohit hit Rampaul for a six down the ground, and Badrinath hit two fours off Bishoo’s next over. In between those boundaries, Badrinath was stumped, but the umpire Peter Nero refused to even refer it to the third umpire. The 18th over, bowled by Christopher Barnwell, was a disaster for West Indies even though he managed Rohit’s wicket. He began with five wides and was hit for two sixes, one each by Rohit and Yusuf Pathan, in a 20-run over. Bishoo did some damage control in the 19th, but Rampaul came back to bowl length in the 20th, and was smacked for a six and a four by Harbhajan Singh.Expectedly India wasted little time in unleashing spin after Praveen Kumar opened the defence with a maiden over. Ashwin and Harbhajan proved to be too good at the start, and Ashwin – albeit fortuitously – removed Lendl Simmons early. The man to blame was Nero again, who ruled Simmons caught behind off the thigh, and also off the wicketkeeper’s helmet.What followed involved no luck. Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo managed to not lose their wickets but struggled to stay in touch with the asking-rate. As the ball turned and bounced, surely they would have wondered why their home pitches should test their weakness, and not the opposition’s. That didn’t explain lack of urgency in running between the wickets. No Indian fielder felt under pressure to charge at the ball as West Indies were not looking to convert ones into twos.The asking-rate touched 17 for the last five overs, and the first big risks taken by the pair resulted in wickets to Harbhajan. Barnwell displayed his big-hitting capabilities in a 16-ball 34, but he was left with too much to do to prevent West Indies’ first T20 defeat to India.

A spirited West Indian counterattack wasn’t enough to prevent India from retaining control of the third Test, but rain continued to threaten the possibility of any outright result, wiping out almost the entire final session

The Bulletin by Siddhartha Talya07-Jul-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ishant Sharma took his series tally to 21 wickets with another five-for•AFPA spirited West Indian counterattack wasn’t enough to prevent India from taking control of the third Test, but rain continued to threaten another draw with almost the entire final session washed out. In the 49.2 overs that were bowled, Carlton Baugh and Darren Bravo rescued the hosts from 99 for 5 but India hit back in the latter part of the second session. Ishant Sharma removed Bravo and cleaned up the tail to pick up another five-for, while Harbhajan Singh dislodged Darren Sammy and Baugh to become the 11th bowler – and the third Indian – to take 400 Test wickets.Baugh batted with typical Caribbean flair after the West Indies innings appeared to stagnate against the determined Indian seamers in good batting conditions. His busy approach was key to propping up West Indies, who lost Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels in fairly quick time in the morning. Baugh’s presence was infectious, spurring Bravo to open up after a quiet start to the day. The introduction of spin a few overs before lunch was Baugh’s opportunity to step up, and he announced himself with a slog-swept six off Harbhajan. The pair then dispatched part-timer Suresh Raina’s long-hops for boundaries, and sustained the pace after lunch against the seamers.Ishant was still trying to hit his straps when Baugh cut him for four, and Bravo joined in to glide him to the third-man boundary and then past extra cover in an over that fetched 15. Only 53 runs were scored in the first session in 23.5 overs, but West Indies had doubled the day’s tally by the tenth over after lunch. Munaf Patel was the most impressive of India’s bowlers, making the batsmen play more than his partners did and varying his lengths superbly. He produced a couple of thick edges off Baugh’s bat, but both found the boundary. The 50-stand came off 66 balls, but Ishant’s persistence broke it.He maintained a round-the-wicket line to Bravo despite being hit for successive boundaries, and got him to edge a full delivery to Rahul Dravid at slip, but the ball seemed to bounce even as he got his fingers to it. The next ball was slipped wide but Ishant angled one in immediately after and produced an edge to the wicketkeeper even as Bravo looked to withdraw his bat. The counterattack, however, didn’t stop.Baugh was undeterred and it helped that his new companion was the naturally aggressive Darren Sammy, who slashed a couple of boundaries and lofted Ishant cleanly over long-off for the shot of the day. But the spin that had triggered the West Indies recovery also ended it.India had expected more out of Harbhajan on the fifth day in Barbados, and his effectiveness has declined in recent times, but his landmark today was one to savour. Bowling with a scrambled seam from round the wicket, he dismissed Sammy with a bit of extra bounce to end the stand. He moved to 400 in his next over when Baugh chose the wrong ball to cut, bowled by one pitching on off and turning in a touch. Ishant finished the innings by castling Nos. 10 and 11. The Indian openers played out four overs but rain, bad light, and more rain ensured there was no further play.The performance of Ishant and Harbhajan backed up a disciplined effort from Munaf and Praveen Kumar in the morning session. Munaf took the lead, working on Chanderpaul with a bouncer, then drawing him forward, angling the ball across and eventually ending his stay with a short-of-a-length delivery that moved away enough to produce a tickle to birthday-boy MS Dhoni. With India’s traditional tormentor out of the way, Munaf gave Samuels a working over with a series of bouncers, one of which thudded into the helmet. Samuels responded with two languid drives but the potentially intriguing mini-battle was cut short by a lazy shot when he hung his bat at a shortish delivery from Praveen and dragged it back onto the stumps. That brought Baugh to the crease, and ushered in a lively passage of play before the weather had the final say for the second straight day.

Zimbabwe and Bangladesh have grown accustomed to playing each other in limited-overs cricket in recent years, but have not met in a Test for more than five years

The Preview by Firdose Moonda in Harare03-Aug-2011Match factsBrendan Taylor leads Zimbabwe back into the Test fold•Zimbabwe CricketAugust 4 – 8, Harare Sports Club
Start time 10:00 (08:00GMT)
Big PictureThis fixture usually does not jump out as the most eye-catching on the international calendar but this time it does. Both teams are making a comeback to the longest version of the game – Bangladesh haven’t played a Test since June last year – but the return will be more special for Zimbabwe.Seventy-one months have passed since Zimbabwe last played a Test match, when they lost to India by 10 wickets in September 2005. Their cricket has spluttered, drowned and been revived in the time since then and if most of the stories coming out of the country are to be believed, Zimbabwe is ready to be welcomed back. The first-class game is attracting interest from players and supporters, better coaching structures are in place and the game has grown and developed. The team of young hopefuls that formed out of crisis in 2004 is now a group of mature men, ready to play international cricket in whites.There is no ranking at stake here, no places to be gained on the points table but there is pride to uphold and progression to show off. It’s just a one-off Test, something Zimbabwe are set to stage more frequently in the coming months, as they make a measured return to Test cricket. They will want to show that they are capable of more and that longer series can be introduced in the future.For Bangladesh, winning is still a concern, especially away from home. Their only away wins came against a second-string West Indies side, so victory in Harare would be their first in Zimbabwe.Form guideZimbabwe LLLLL
Bangladesh LLLLL
In the spotlightIt’s the first time Brendan Taylor will captain Zimbabwe and both, his batting and his leadership tactics will come under scrutiny. His 85 in the tour match against Australia A showed that he is in good form. With a first-class batting average of close to 40, Taylor is expected to be the rock of the middle order as well as the man marshalling a Zimbabwean side that will have to adjust to the unique pressures of Test cricket. He is one of only three survivors from the last time Zimbabwe played a Test match. Back then he was only 20 years old, so this is an opportunity for him to show how much he has matured.Mohammad Ashraful returns to the Bangladesh national side after being left out of the ODI series against Australia. Since then, he has captained the A side and scored a century against South Africa A in a one-day game. Despite his inconsistency, he is one of the most talented players in the Bangladesh set-up and has been given another chance to stake a claim for a regular place. Ashraful has faced Zimbabwe many times, being the only man in the current squad to have visited this country in 2004, and the familiarity of the conditions and the opposition should work to his advantage.Team newsZimbabwe are likely to have four Test debutants in their line-up, opening batsman Tino Mawoyo, middle-order man Craig Ervine and bowlers Kyle Jarvis and Brian Vitori. With conditions unlikely to favour spinners, Ray Price could be used as a containing option.Zimbabwe: (probable) 1 Tinotenda Mawoyo, 2 Vusi Sibanda, 3 Hamilton Maskadzaa, 4 Brendan Taylor (capt), 5 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 6 Craig Ervine, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Kyle Jarvis, 9 Ray Price, 10 Chris Mpofu, 11 Brian VitoriMahmudullah was the only Bangladesh regular who was in doubt for this match after hurting his hand in the tour game, but was given the all-clear on Wednesday. Uncapped Nasir Hossain may have to watch from the sidelines as Bangladesh are likely field an experienced XI.Bangladesh: (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Junaid Siddique, 4 Shahriar Nafees, 5 Mohammad Ashraful, 6 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 7 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 8 Mahmudullah, 9 Shafiul Islam, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Robiul IslamPitch and conditionsWinter brings with it dryness and it is understood that the ground staff have been putting effort into making the pitch lively. It has a fair covering of grass on it and is expected to assist the seamers early on. With the weather set to remain sunny and cool, the pitch will flatten and become good for batting.Stats and trivia Zimbabwe is the first place Bangladesh played a Test away from home, in Bulawayo, in 2001. They are also the country first team Bangladesh beat in Test cricket, by 226 runs, in Chittagong in 2005 Collectively, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh have won 11 Tests and lost 108 Tamim Iqbal has scored in a century in each of Bangladesh’s last two Test matches, in England last year Only three members in Zimbabwe’s current squad played in their last Test, against India in September 2005 – Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor and Tatenda TaibuQuotes”Recently people in the country have become inspired by cricket and it’s exciting to have Zimbabwe coming back and to be a part of it.”

“We expect it to dry up and start spinning from the third day. Obviously we didn’t bat well in the practice match and we’re going to improve on that.”

Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan legspinner, will have to wait at least another month to gain clearance to play for Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2011Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan legspinner, will have to wait at least another month to gain clearance to play for Pakistan. The Sindh High Court has adjourned his case against the PCB until September 27 after the board asked Kaneria to produce tapes of the police inquiry he faced in the UK. Kaneria had been questioned in a case involving spot-fixing allegations during a Pro40 match for his county Essex.During the previous hearing of the case, on July 26, Kaneria had been asked to produce transcripts of the investigation on August 18. According to PCB lawyer Taffazul Rizvi, Kaneria’s lawyers admitted tapes of the questioning exist and those will now be produced before the court.”For the first time Kaneria’s counsel has accepted that the tapes exist but they have not submitted these before the court; so we have to contact our lawyer in England and try to bring those tapes here,” Rizvi told .Though Kaneria was not charged in the spot-fixing case, in which his Essex team-mate Mervyn Westfield faced criminal proceedings, he has not been cleared to play for Pakistan since the incident. He provided the PCB’s integrity committee with various financial records and documents, including a letter from Essex that confirmed he was not charged with any wrongdoing in England. Having failed to satisfy the committee, he filed a petition at the Sindh High Court on July 2.Kaneria will now have to wait to obtain the tapes of his questioning, which his lawyer Mohammad Farogh Naseem said were in the UK with Kaneria’s British lawyer Steve Haurigan.The integrity committee had asked Kaneria to produce transcripts of the investigation before the case began but his lawyers had maintained it was not possible as the transcripts were still part of an ongoing investigation in the UK.Kaneria met the PCB’s integrity committee again, though there was no clear result from that meeting. He now has no hopes of playing in Zimbabwe. With 261 wickets, he is Pakistan’s most-prolific spinner in Tests, but has not played one for nearly a year.”I am doing my best to clear my name but with the adjournment I have lost my chance to play against Zimbabwe next month,” Kaneria told . “I have not lost heart and will do everything to revive my career.”

Brendan Taylor ended his poor run of scores in this series with a century full of conviction and responsibility, but his side collapsed to a comprehensive defeat

The Report by Siddhartha Talya19-Aug-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Brendan Taylor and Elton Chigumbura added 94 for the fifth wicket, but in vain•Zimbabwe CricketBrendan Taylor ended his poor run of scores in this series with a century full of conviction and responsibility, bailing Zimbabwe out of trouble only to watch his side slide back into it and collapse to a comprehensive defeat. He was deprived of his top and middle-order partners thanks to some excellent fielding and smart wicketkeeping, but overcame the declining scoring-rate wrought by the spinners with a positive approach that freed a stifled Zimbabwe innings. However, Rubel Hossain returned in the batting Powerplay to wrest control as the hosts botched up an attempt to step up the scoring rate, losing their last six wickets for 16. Tamim Iqbal then sparkled in the chase to set up his team’s first win on what had so far been a disappointing tour.The fluent approach of fellow opener Vusi Sibanda rubbed off on Taylor, enabling the pair to set up a solid partnership. Rubel Hossain doled out a couple of freebies in his first over that Sibanda duly dispatched, and Taylor joined in, driving Shafiul Islam imperiously down the ground and clearing the in-field twice off the same bowler, over square leg and point. Sibanda’s threatening innings ended when he was sucked in by a teasing outswinger from Shafiul; it marked the beginning of the Zimbabwean slide and undermined an encouraging start.The Bangladesh spinners are not known to produce vicious turn but are quite effective with their variations in length, and capitalised once the openers were separated. They gave the ball plenty of flight and were helped by a hint of turn. While Taylor handled them expertly, sweeping, cutting and working the ball around, they produced plenty of uncertainty in the others. Hamilton Masakadza played out five deliveries before chasing one down the leg side; Mushfiqur Rahim collected and appealed vociferously and the umpire bought it, though there was plenty of doubt as to whether the batsman nicked it. Tatenda Taibu was run out brilliantly, Nasir Hossain diving full length to his left at extra cover and returning an accurate throw amid a mountain of confusion in the middle of the pitch. Shakib Al Hasan then dislodged Forster Mutizwa while Taylor could only watch.Forty for no loss became 89 for 4, but Taylor and Elton Chigumbura ensured there was no stagnation. Though the spin trio of Abdur Razzak, Mahmudullah and Shakib were accurate for the most part, there were the occasional horrific long hops that the pair seized upon. They ran well between the wickets and batted with measured positivity to retain enough ammunition for an explosion at the death. There was a powerful six from Taylor off Nasir over long-on and a steady accumulation that brought up his fourth ODI century before the decision to take the batting Powerplay was made at the start of the 44th over. What transpired was decisive.Chigumbura had batted with uncharacteristic restraint because the situation demanded it, but that approach was shunned when the Powerplay was taken. Just as Rubel was brought back into the attack, he tried to take advantage of the field restrictions but holed out to deep midwicket. It should have prompted Taylor to tone down slightly but he erred by trying to chip Rubel into the leg side with a long-on in place, and was caught.Those dismissals triggered a fall that was interrupted, only briefly, by a couple of meaty shots by Malcolm Waller. In Rubel’s next over, Waller was out hit-wicket when his bat scraped the stumps as he tried to fend a short ball away and Ray Price was caught superbly by Mushfiqur, who stretched all the way to his right to take a low chance. It wasn’t long before the rest of the tail disappeared.It seemed the visitors were intent on making a statement by approaching a target of 200 with absolute aggression from the outset, following defeat in a series they would have expected to win. Imrul Kayes, dropped off his third ball, smashed a massive six over long-on in the first over. Tamim stroked two imperious fours off Kyle Jarvis, who wasn’t spared by Kayes either; he was taken for five fours and six in his first two overs that yielded 30.Junaid Siddique played a brief attacking cameo and fell, but Tamim looked good to stay for the long haul, scoring at a brisk pace with few risks. He was especially harsh on Prosper Utseya, punching him twice to the cover boundary and through midwicket and past long-on. With the enterprising Mushfiqur at the other end, the running between the wickets improved markedly and the scoring-rate was well under control. But there was a minor hiccup. Shortly after notching up his 3000th ODI-run, Tamim was trapped in front by Price while playing the sweep and Mushfiqur followed, spooning a catch off a slower ball.At 129 for 4, Zimbabwe were still in with a chance but the experienced Shakib and the novice Shuvagoto Hom batted maturely to seal the chase. Shuvagoto took the lead initially, employing the slog-sweep against Price. There was no respite for Utseya despite the dismissal of Tamim, as Shuvagoto lofted him over the in-field. Shakib took on the seamer Chris Mpofu at the other end in a well-paced, unbeaten half-century stand that won some pride back for the struggling visitors.

Tillakaratne Dilshan has admitted his side are finding it hard to deal with the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan and said it would take time for them to groom bowlers who could win them Tests

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Colombo20-Sep-2011Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka captain, has admitted his side are finding it hard to deal with the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan and said it would take time for them to groom bowlers who could win them Tests. Dilshan also said he would continue batting at No. 5 in Tests, as he did in Colombo, since the additional responsibility of captaincy meant he had more to do in the field.”We’ve gone 11 Tests without a win but we have lost only two Tests; the other nine were drawn. After Murali’s retirement we are still trying to find a bowler to win matches for us,” Dilshan said after the Colombo Test was drawn giving Australia a 1-0 win in the series. “These are hard times for Sri Lankan cricket. The bowlers we have are inexperienced; they have played just 5 to 10 Tests and we have to persist with them for some time and give them the experience before we can start winning again.”If you take the last 10-15 years it was Murali and [Chaminda] Vaas who won Test matches for us. We need to groom bowlers who can at least get closer to that level. I am extremely happy that on this SSC wicket the young fast bowlers managed to dismiss a strong batting line-up for 316 and gave us an opportunity to press for a win.”Dilshan has opened the batting for Sri Lanka in Tests since the home series against New Zealand in August 2009, and averaged 47.20 at the top compared to the 41.75 he averages in the middle order. However, he struggled with the bat during the first two Tests against Australia and dropped down the order for the third, and said he would continue to bat in the middle order.”I am considering batting at No. 5 because I have to do a lot of things in the middle apart from captaining the team [Dilshan bowled 63 overs of offspin in the series]. After just a ten minute break it’s hard to open. I am going to stick to No. 5 in future Test matches. I have scored the majority of my runs in Test cricket as a middle-order batsman. I spoke with Marvan [Atapattu], the batting coach, and he told me that I had performed well with the bat in the middle order at no. 5 and 6. I thought I will bat lower down the order and give another batsman the opportunity to open.”One of the reasons for relinquishing the opening position could be that Dilshan foresees Sri Lanka going in to many of their Tests with just one specialist spinner, meaning he will have to bowl more. “We have spinners whom we can use like Suraj Randiv, Seekuge Prasanna and Ajantha Mendis but we need to give them more experience. Playing against a unit like Australia an inexperienced bowler cannot come and perform. If we are playing a 7-4 combination we can play only one spinner.”Dilshan coming down the order will mean it will be hard to find place for Thilan Samaraweera in the Test side, and 22-year-old Lahiru Thirimanne could become a permanent member of the XI, opening with Tharanga Paranavitana. “We have to discuss with Thilan and the selectors where he will fit in the batting order,” Dilshan said.After being outplayed for most of the first two Tests, Sri Lanka took a first-innings lead in the third, and Dilshan said they did have opportunities to level the series, pointing to the missed chance to run out Michael Clarke on the fifth day, when he was on just 13. Clarke got 112 in the end to help save the Test. “We missed a run out. If we had got that run out it would have been a different story today,” Dilshan said.While Clarke and Phillip Hughes scored centuries in the second innings in Colombo, Dilshan said it was Man-of-the-Series Michael Hussey who was the key man in Australia’s line-up. “He batted in Galle with the tailenders and got 95 and changed the complexion of the match. He did the same in Pallakele and got a hundred and in the third Test he got another hundred. He is the main guy in their batting line-up. They are very strong with him in the middle. They bat around him.”