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Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand got off to a poor start after they lost their twelve-a-side Twenty20 match to Auckland at Colin Maiden Park. Michael Bates took 4 for 11 as the Pakistanis were bowled out for 91

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2010
ScorecardAbdul Razzaq couldn’t script a recovery for Pakistan as they slumped to 91 all out•Getty Images

Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand got off to a poor start after they lost their twelve-a-side Twenty20 match to Auckland at Colin Maiden Park. The hosts won with 40 balls to spare, easily chasing down the target of 92 after Pakistan were bowled out in 17.4 overs.Pakistan were put in to bat and were in immediate trouble, sinking to 7 for 3 inside the third over. Left-arm seamer Michael Bates did the early damage, getting Mohammad Hafeez out caught and bowled off the fourth ball of the match. Two balls later he got Ahmed Shehzad to nick to Lou Vincent and be dismissed for a duck. In Bates’ next over he got rid of the big fish – the captain Shahid Afridi, for 1. Afridi tried to pull Bates, but only got it as far as square leg, where Anaru Kitchen took a sharp catch.Pakistan never recovered from that rocky start. Umar Akmal provided them with a silver lining, showing some signs of form to get to 25 – Pakistan’s top score of the innings. Left-arm spinner Roneel Hira dismissed Younis Khan for 18 and then Umar in his next over, and Fawad Alam was run out for 0 in between, to leave the visitors reeling at 52 for 6. Umar was trying to power Hira through the off side off the back foot, but missed the ball and was bowled. Abdul Razzaq wasn’t able to pull off a recovery and fell to offspinner Bhupinder Singh for 16. Bates came back into the attack and dismissed Wahab Riaz to finish with figures of 4 for 11 in three overs.Auckland opener Colin de Grandhomme was in a hurry to knock off the required runs and raced to 20 off 12 before he was caught at gully by Shehzad off Shoaib Akhtar. Martin Guptill, the only member of the Auckland side who is in New Zealand’s squad for the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, played the sheet-anchor role, and batted through the innings, making 28. Shoaib managed another wicket, bowling Lou Vincent, but was expensive, going at 7.75 in his four overs.Saeed Ajmal did a good job of drying up the runs, giving away 20 in his four overs, and picked up the wickets of Anaru Kitchen and Colin Munro. Gareth Hopkins, who was dropped from New Zealand’s squad for the Twenty20 and Test series against Pakistan, made only 8 before falling to Wahab Riaz. But Auckland were always comfortable, and reached their target with plenty of overs to spare, helped by the 17 extras conceded by Pakistan’s bowlers.Pakistan will have two days to recover before the first Twenty20 match of the three-match series against New Zealand, in Auckland, on December 26.

Ricky Ponting remains positive despite the numerous injury setbacks that have rocked Australia’s World Cup campaign even before its start

Nagraj Gollapudi in Bangalore11-Feb-2011Ricky Ponting remains positive despite the numerous injury setbacks that have rocked Australia’s World Cup campaign even before its start. A host of first- and second-choice players including Mike Hussey, Nathan Hauritz, Ryan Harris, Clint McKay, Shaun Marsh and Xavier Doherty have failed to make the 15-man squad due to either fresh injuries or ones that did not heal in time. Ponting, however, was not complaining and pointed out that he had no doubts about his team’s chances.”I don’t really care where we start the tournament. It is irrelevant, to tell the truth,” Ponting said, when asked if the injuries had robbed the defending champions of the favourites tag, before highlighting that the same apprehension had been expressed ahead of the 2007 tournament as well. “At the last World Cup, there was a fair bit of negativity about our team, about where we were heading as a one-day team. We’d lost the CB series in Australia, went to New Zealand and lost the series 3-0. You can understand that there were a few doubts about our team. And we know what happened there. We went through it undefeated.”Ponting, playing his fifth, and last, World Cup felt the 6-1 series victory against England had erased the Ashes misery, putting the players in the right frame of mind ahead of the big event. “Our lead-up couldn’t really be much better, having just beaten a pretty good English side 6-1 at home with quite a few of our more senior players not taking part,” he said. “We are in good shape. We’ve got some really good confidence and a bit of momentum around our team. We’ve got a couple of weeks before we need to be playing our absolute best.”Ponting did concede he would dearly miss Hussey, especially with the left-hander’s amazing ability to absorb pressure down the batting order and play the finisher’s act elegantly. But the Australian selectors were sceptical about pushing forward Hussey’s case even though the player himself said later he was expecting to be included. Hussey underwent surgery after picking a serious hamstring injury during the one-day series against England. “Losing Michael Hussey is a big loss to our setup. There is no doubt about it,” Ponting said. “His experience and his knowledge of the game in tournaments like this are almost second to none. We will miss him,” he said, but finished the sentence by saying the other Hussey (David) was now in good position to fill the shoes of his elder sibling. “He’s [David] played well in the last series at home and has started to learn what it takes to bat down in the middle order in a one-day setup,” Ponting said.Jason Krejza, who made his ODI debut in the last match of the England series, was another player Ponting had a lot of faith in. The offspinner found a World Cup berth only after Hauritz failed the fitness test on Tuesday, having bowled a dozen deliveries at what he termed “60 to 70%”, which was not enough to convince the selectors to go with him. Doherty, the original back-up for Hauritz, also suffered a back injury, giving Krejza the opportunity to return to India, where he had made his Test debut, picking a match haul of 12 wickets in Nagpur on the 2008 tour. “He’s a guy that can be a real match-winning bowler for you. He does put a lot of work on the ball and spins the ball a lot. He will appreciate bowling in these conditions here,” Ponting said of his fellow Tasmanian, who had good control over batsmen during the Big Bash where he picked up nine wickets in seven matches at 6.36 runs per over.Ponting said Krejza could play a crucial role if he bowled according to the situation on the slower pitches in the subcontinent, where slow bowlers have a wider say, especially in the crucial middle overs. “Any international bowler you have, you want them to be able to play both roles – attacking and defense,” Ponting said. “If we get the right mix of guys around him as well – [Brett] Lee, [Shaun] Tait, [Mithcell] Johnson, [John] Hastings, [Doug] Bollinger – all fairly attacking bowlers, there should not be any reason why we will not able to break partnerships in this tournament,” Ponting said. “It’s exciting to have someone like him in the group. He’s a noted wicket-taker and if he bowls his best in these conditions, he could have a really big impact on some of the games that we play.”

India don’t like the UDRS and one moment during the thrilling World Cup group match against England in Bangalore will have given them even more reason to distrust the technology

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2011India don’t like the UDRS and one moment during the thrilling World Cup group match against England in Bangalore will have given them even more reason to distrust the technology when Ian Bell survived an lbw referral. It left MS Dhoni cursing the system as he called it an adulteration of human decision making and technlogy.At the start of the 25th over of their gargangtuan run-chase, England were coasting more than 20 ahead of India in comparison. Then Yuvraj Singh struck Bell, who was stretching foward attempting one of those adventurous paddle sweeps, on the pad but umpire Billy Bowden turned down the appeal. The Indians did what they have been avoiding doing for more than two years – turn to the decision review.The slow motion replay showed up on the giant screen and to the naked eye it met with most criteria: not a no ball, hitting in line of the stumps and striking the wicket. The crowd roared with delight expecting Bell to be on his way and he had already begun his dejected trek back, supposedly out for 17 to complete another unfullfilled one-day innings.Until, that is, his captain began to holler him to a halt halfway to the dressing room. The last criteria that was showing up on the screen indicated the distance that the ball would have to travel from point of impact to the stumps was more than 2.5 metres, a rule most on the ground did not know about. Not even England.The 2.5m rule has been put into place because it is from that point onwards that the precision of the ball tracking technology begins to reduce. That last piece of information was conveyed to Bowden by the third umpire and he stuck to his original decision. Not out. Too far down the pitch.Dhoni was far from amused, finding it difficult to accept that both technology and human intervention played a part in coming to the decision which allowed Bell to survive and make another 52 runs. “Adulteration is quite bad, whether it is natural or technology,” he said. “I think the adulteration of technology with human intention was the reason why we didn’t get that wicket. Hopefully next time, it will be [either] technology or human intention [in the UDRS].”The 2.5m ruling surprised most of the players, the England captain Andrew Strauss being informed about it during the review itself. “Apparently if you are that far down the pitch it needs to be hitting middle stump to be given out. I didn’t know that was part of the rules,” he said. “Obviously Belly was lucky to get away with it.”When he was asked whether he had known about the 2.5m rule Dhoni didn’t hide his frustration. “Well, if the Hawkeye says it is going to hit the stump, and it’s going to hit the middle stump, then [there is] no reason why the distance really matters,” he said.He went on to recall a dismissal of his own when he had stepped outside his crease and was given lbw after he was hit on the shin. “UDRS was not there…If I can be given out, why not other batsmen? So whether it is 2.5m or 2.4 or 2.6, it is pretty difficult for me. What I saw was the ball hitting the stump. After that, the rest of the rule book is rested with the third and the fourth umpire. Whatever they decided, we said, ‘Okay, whatever they decide, we get on with the game’.”The ICC playing conditions relating to this part of the system come under Process of Consultation No. 3.3 (i). It states that if a ‘not out’ decision is being reviewed and the distance from impact to the stumps is greater than 2.5m then the third umpire passes this information to the on-field official along with: the distance from the wickets of the point of impact with the batsman, the approximate distance from the point of pitching to the point of impact, and whether the ball is predicted to the hit the stumps.The playing condition goes onto state that: “In such a case the on-field umpire shall have regard to the normal cricketing principles concerning the level of certainty in making his decision as to whether to change his decision.”

Paul Collingwood will undergo knee surgery after the World Cup but remains available for the remainder of the tournament

Sidharth Monga in Colombo23-Mar-2011Matt Prior believes he is one good innings, and just needs “one or two things to click”, before he turns his form around at the top of England’s order. Prior had to take on the opener’s role after Kevin Pietersen, the original choice to partner Andrew Strauss, had to leave early for a hernia operation. His two digs at the top have been forgettable, a brain-freeze stumping against Bangladesh and a wasted start against West Indies when he was beaten for pace and movement by Andre Russell.Prior doesn’t know just yet if he will get another chance to set that record straight. “When I was told I would be opening when KP went down, it wasn’t a done decision for the whole tournament,” he said three days before the quarter-final against Sri Lanka. “There wasn’t a decision made that I would be opening for the rest of the competition.”Do I want to open? Of course I do,” he added. “I love opening the batting. It gives you the best opportunity to bat 50 overs and get a big score for your team. It hasn’t gone to play, and that’s a frustration for me, but I don’t feel far away. I know that if I do open, a big score is around the corner. I am hitting the ball well, one or two things going my way, and I will get a big score.”One of the reasons why Prior might not open again is that he himself is not sure if the opening slot is the best utilisation of his strengths as a batsman. “My stats would suggest not,” he said. “I haven’t scored the runs that I would have wanted, which is hugely frustrating for me. I know I can play that role really, really well. I seem to do the hard work, and then get out, which is hugely frustrating.”Over here, one of my key strengths is moving the ball around in the field, especially when the spinners are on, and that’s a part of my game that I back. Probably it has to be utilised as well. Whether that means I open or bat a little bit further down the order, I don’t really know. All I know is that wherever I am batting, there will be a reason for it.”Prior still believes he has the technique to do well when opening. “I have opened in county cricket,” he said. “Obviously it is a step up, we all know that. In Test cricket I have scored hundreds. When people mention technique and all that, it’s just not it at all. You don’t score hundreds in Test cricket if you have got a poor technique.”His opportunities at the top of England’s one-day order have been numerous, with 35 of his 67 appearances coming as an opener, dating back to the tour of Zimbabwe in 2004-05. However, he has managed just two half-centuries in those games, the most recent being a run-a-ball 67 against Australia at Adelaide back in January.”It’s just that something hasn’t clicked,” he said. “Early on in my one-day career, when I opened, I felt pressure to take that role on as a pinch-hitter. And that sort of gave me a poor start. I was getting to 20s and 30s, and then sort of carried on playing too many shots, and getting caught in the deep or whatever it might be. Going into this phase of my ODI career, I am trying to find a different tempo.”I have done that at times, but just not had a great run of luck,” he added. “Things like going back to the Australia series, the Sydney game, I do the hard work [18 from 23 balls] and then Mitchell Johnson bowls me an absolute beauty. Just little things like that, where you start thinking, ‘Hang on a minute, this is just not meant to be’.””But you are only one innings from turning it around. And it does turn around very very quickly,” he said. “The belief in my ability that I have and my team-mates have is still there. We know we are in the quarter-final, and that’s very exciting. If I do open, I have got an opportunity to put my hand up, play an innings that gets us into the semi-final of the world cup. What’s gone before is irrelevant. Certainly if you play that innings, people in this job have very short memories. I have got a huge amount of belief, and I just need one or two things to click. That big innings is around the corner.”Prior can expect to find out his batting position by Thursday’s practice session at the latest, but he said that would not pose a huge problem in the preparation side of things. “We have been on tour for a long time,” he said. “We have hit a lot of cricket balls, we have played a lot of cricket balls, bowled a lot of cricket balls over the last six months.”It’s not the netting, it’s more the mental side of the game. Who are you going to be facing? Who are you going to come out against? The situation of the game you might be confronted with. It’s obviously different from opening to batting in the middle order. You want to find that as soon as possible. The more time you have, the better. That’s a vital part of getting ready for the game, the mental side of it.”

John Buchanan, the former Australia coach, believes Duncan Fletcher’s vast coaching experience equips him ideally for the task of coaching India – perhaps even better than his predecessor, Gary Kirsten

Daniel Brettig and Sharda Ugra27-Apr-2011John Buchanan, the former Australia coach, believes Duncan Fletcher’s vast coaching experience equips him ideally for the task of coaching India – perhaps even better than his predecessor, Gary Kirsten.Fletcher and Buchanan sparred often as the rival coaches of England and Australia, and the Zimbabwean’s appointment to replace Kirsten grants him the opportunity to shoot for the kind of sustained spell at the top of the world rankings that he was unable to achieve with the ECB.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo as he prepares to take up his new post as New Zealand’s director of coaching, Buchanan said Fletcher’s similarities to Kirsten, who he coached at Western Province, were allied to a lengthy record of coaching achievement.”He’s obviously got a pretty good track record on the international and county circuits, and he’s got a pretty wide range of coaching experience,” Buchanan said. “He shares some similarities to Gary Kirsten and that obviously is something India would like to maintain, but he also has had greater experience, which should be useful for the phase the Indian team are about to enter into.”This phase includes tours to England and Australia – Fletcher is unlikely to be in place for the West Indies trip that precedes them – and managing the task of regenerating an ageing team.
Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman cannot go on for too much longer, while the pace spearhead Zaheer Khan is also reaching the latter stages of his career.”Ahead of him certainly will be the opportunity to sustain the success the Indian team have had up to and including the World Cup,” Buchanan said. “One of the features of that Australian team from the late 1990s through to 2007 was high performance maintained for a long period of time even as a number of players were turned over, and that will be India’s quest now.”As the England coach, Fletcher was known for seeking every possible advantage over his opponents, whether it was resorting to defensive extremes when trying to curtail a rampant Tendulkar in 2001, or using substitute fielders to keep his pacemen fresh and drive Ricky Ponting to distraction during the 2005 Ashes series. He also made sure he kept his distance from opponents and public alike.”I wouldn’t say Duncan and I were ever very close,” Buchanan said. “He could be a brusque character, he had great competitiveness, which could be seen as keeping to himself at times, you’re in the heat of battle and so the opportunities to get to know each other can be scarce.”The distance between Fletcher and his rivals contrasted with the closeness he exhibited to his team, the privileged few to know the “real” man. “Knowing a a number of people who worked closely with him they really enjoyed his methods and his style and the majority were generally pretty happy in how they worked together,” Buchanan said, who worked with Troy Cooley after he left England to return to Australia in 2006.”In that position if you try to be popular you don’t last too long, you need to establish your way and hope that the players and the staff and administration of that team or country buy into what you bring.”Another man expecting Fletcher to succeed in his India stint was England under-19 coach Tim Boon, who has worked alongside Fletcher between 2001 and 2005 with the England team. Boon says Fletcher will be “at his best” for India. Though Fletcher is 18 years older than India’s outgoing coach Kirsten, Boon said age would not be a factor. “What you need to remember is that Gary Kirsten played under Duncan Fletcher. Duncan’s experience will far outweigh issues of how old he is. He is strong and fit for his age, he will be involved in all the drills on the training ground, he is very a tough character.”Fletcher had spend four years since leaving the England job, working in an independent coaching consultancy in Cape Town and Boon said, “He’s had a rest since his last international job. This gives you enough time to look back and reflect on your work. You are at your best stage as a coach, John Wright is the same with New Zealand now. Duncan will be ready for the job.”Boon said overall Fletcher was “methodical” and an excellent technical coach who did very well working one-on-one with players. “He is very good at identifying talent, which is how an Ashes team was put together in 2005.” Boon said he found Fletcher the “best off the field captain” with whom team leaders could discuss tactics and the problems of various match situations. “It is his experience that Dhoni will tap into and be able to sit and talk through with him.”As for the demands of coaching India, Boon said, “Fletcher is very resourceful and mentally very tough. He has an enormous amount of respect for cricketers in the sub-continent, particularly the Indians. He will look at the India job as a challenge he would want to have a go at, and a fantastic honour, it could be the final chapter in the story of his international coaching career.”

For the second successive match, Rajasthan Royals played on a true surface that did not suit them, and yet again, they were outclassed by a side that was clearly superior in all departments

The Bulletin by Abhishek Purohit11-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsS Aravind took three important wickets•AFP

For the second successive match, Rajasthan Royals played on a true surface that did not suit them, and yet again, they were outclassed by a side that was clearly superior in all departments. Their batsmen, used to modest chases on sluggish tracks, were found wanting against a varied Royal Challengers Bangalore attack led by the impressive S Aravind. Their thin bowling resources proved to be expectedly insufficient against the might of Chris Gayle, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Virat Kohli. Their fielders dropped whatever chances they had of even hoping to scratch at the surface of a comeback.The nine-wicket thumping widened the gap between Rajasthan and the top four teams, took Bangalore to within a win of making the play-offs, and left the home side needing a miracle.The story of the match was encapsulated in the approach of each side’s openers. Rahul Dravid and Shane Watson motored to 73 in 57 deliveries before falling in the space of three deliveries to Aravind. Dilshan and Gayle flew to 68 off 40 and it took a sharp take on the deep midwicket boundary by Ross Taylor to prolong the game.The assault by Dilshan and Gayle left the Jaipur crowd so stunned that noise was conspicuous by its absence for the remainder of the chase. Even Gayle seemed to be lulled into periods of relative inactivity, before enough deliveries found the middle of his bat in another big innings that took him to within 27 runs of claiming the orange cap from Virender Sehwag.Bangalore had already galloped to 38 when Shane Warne dropped Gayle at mid-off, and that was as close as Rajasthan came to making a breakthrough. The first four overs all yielded 10 runs or more, Dilshan and Gayle taking turns to dismantle an attack that had already been sold short by its misfiring batsmen.Setting a stiff target was Rajasthan’s only hope on a flat pitch with a short boundary, but Aravind continued his impressive performance in this IPL, coming back from an expensive beginning with three crucial wickets that foiled the home side’s plans of a late charge after a solid, if unspectacular, start.Dravid and Watson had put on 73 when Aravind dismissed both in three deliveries in the 10th over. He then came back to remove Johan Botha in the 17th over as Rajasthan lost whatever little steam they had managed to build up.Rajasthan look much better when they are chasing a modest total on a tough pitch than when they are trying to set a big target on a batting surface. The way Dravid and Watson batted showed just why that is true. On a pitch that could not have been more different from the slow tracks that Jaipur has seen, crisp shots mostly found the fielders.Dravid hit six boundaries and Watson muscled a couple of sixes but there was always the feeling that they could have gone harder, considering the powerful batting line-up they were up against. Despite being in control throughout, Dravid played out 13 dot balls; Watson outdid him with 17.Watson tried to target Aravind, a mis-hit just beat deep midwicket but the next ball was smacked over the sightscreen. It was in Aravind’s third over that Bangalore wrested control. Watson went hard at a full delivery but only found AB de Villiers – Arun Karthik had replaced him behind the stumps today – on the wide long-off boundary. Two deliveries later, Dravid fell to another soft dismissal, hitting one straight back to Aravind.Ajinkya Rahane carried on from his half-century in the previous game, but Johan Botha took off after reverse-sweeping to point and Rahane had to sacrifice his wicket with a needless run-out. Botha could not do much to make up for his error as Aravind found the outside edge with one that moved away for Arun Karthik to take the chance.At 124 for 4 with three overs to go, Rajasthan needed some frenetic hitting from Ross Taylor and Ashok Menaria, but they fell in successive overs.Against Gayle and Dilshan, 146 was not only inadequate, it set up what became a no-a contest despite Shane Warne trying his best with dipping legbreaks and flat sliders in his last IPL match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

Hampshire began the defence of their Friends Life t20 title with a convincing seven-wicket victory over last season’s beaten finalists Somerset at the Rose Bowl

01-Jun-2011
ScorecardMarcus Trescothick scored just two runs as Somerset reached 145 for 7•Getty Images

Hampshire began the defence of their Friends Life t20 title with a convincing seven-wicket victory over last season’s beaten finalists Somerset at the Rose Bowl. Michael Lumb’s half-century, in pursuit of a 145 for 7, ensured the Royals overcame the absence of star signing Shahid Afridi to win the tournament-opener with nine balls to spare.England World Twenty20 winner Lumb set the pace for the successful chase with 53 from 33 balls at the top of the order after returning all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas took 3 for 19. Hampshire had been dealt a blow on the eve of the match when they confirmed they would be without the big-hitting talents of Afridi due to his ongoing dispute with the Pakistan Cricket Board.The hosts also began the game on minus two points after they were fined for the state of their pitch in the corresponding fixture last season. The Royals took control of the game almost from the beginning, though, after Mascarenhas, recently returned after a long stint out with an Achilles injury, struck three times inside the first six overs.The 33-year-old claimed the crucial wicket of Somerset skipper Marcus Trescothick with just his third delivery as Neil McKenzie claimed a spectacular chance at the second attempt at slip. Roelof van der Merwe and James Hildreth also quickly followed to the former England man to leave Somerset in early trouble on 37 for 3.But opener Peter Trego assumed control in a 63-run stand with Nick Compton to form the basis of Somerset’s innings. Trego thrashed three sixes and four fours in his 55 from 37 balls before he was well caught by James Vince in the deep off veteran Dominic Cork.Compton remained to add 37 from 39 balls, before he was Cork’s second victim, as Somerset set what looked a competitive total until Lumb’s fireworks.The left-hander took the lead role in a 90-run stand for the first wicket with Jimmy Adams blasting three sixes and six fours. By the time he was caught on the boundary by Arul Suppiah off Trego the hosts were well in advance of the required rate.Adams’ dismissal soon after, for 39 off 33 balls, offered Somerset the merest of incentive which was quickly extinguished by a sensible stand between Vince and McKenzie. The pair needed only operate at a run-a-ball and they took few risks before Vince (31) was bowled by Trego with just a run needed.

22-Jun-2011
Scorecard
Lancashire need a further 205 runs to claim their sixth win of the season heading into the final day of an enthralling County Championship clash with Nottinghamshire.The visitors were set for a smaller run-chase when they had the hosts at 81 for 7 in their second innings, but yet again the Notts tail wagged as Paul Franks and Andre Adams put on 119 for the eighth wicket and pushed the hosts to 216 all out.Franks made 57 from 88 balls – his fifth Championship half-century of the season – while Adams hit 51, including three sixes and five fours. Sajid Mahmood was key to ending the hosts’ resistance, picking up 5 for 74 to complete the second 10-wicket match haul of his career.Having been set 237 to win on a pitch showing uneven bounce, the visitors reached 32 for no loss at the close, with Paul Horton unbeaten on 14 and Stephen Moore 17 not out.The day began with Lancashire on 293 for 8 in their first innings, although Luke Fletcher removed both Mahmood and Kyle Hogg in quick order to wrap things up and claim 5 for 82.The two Lancashire bowlers then set about destroying the Notts top order as the visitors collapsed to 40 for 4 inside the opening 12 overs. Mahmood had Neil Edwards and Samit Patel lbw either side of Hogg removing Alex Hales, brilliantly caught at point by Steven Croft, before former England international Mahmood took the key wicket of David Hussey, beaten for pace as his off-stump was sent cartwheeling.Riki Wessels and Steven Mullaney steadied the ship to reach lunch with Notts on 79 for 4, a lead of 99, but a devastating spell from Hogg after the interval appeared to have swung the match in Lancashire’s favour as the seamer picked up three wickets in seven balls.Mullaney was lbw to the first ball of the session, Wessels was caught behind for 35 playing defensively and Chris Read was also adjudged leg before playing across the line on the back foot.The first of two rain showers then arrived to give Notts a chance to regroup. Adams swung belligerently after play resumed to put the visiting attack off their stride and while Franks was more circumspect, he also seized on any loose deliveries.Mahmood’s return did the trick as Adams gloved a hook shot to wicketkeeper Gareth Cross and Franks was stumped off Gary Keedy, with Fletcher last to go with a sliced drive off Mahmood to cover.

Michael Kasprowicz, the former Australian fast bowler, has been chosen by Queensland Cricket to replace Matthew Hayden on the board of Cricket Australia

Daniel Brettig09-Aug-2011Michael Kasprowicz, the former Australian fast bowler, has been chosen by Queensland Cricket to replace Matthew Hayden as one of the state’s representatives on the board of Cricket Australia.Currently the president of the Australian Cricketers Association, 39-year-old Kasprowicz will step down from his position with the players’ union, and will add valuable perspective to the CA board at a time when it is about to consider the findings of the Don Argus-led review into the performance of the Australian team.The review is expected to table its findings at CA’s next board meeting on August 18-19.Hayden was required to leave his position on the boards of QC and CA after returning to playing ranks as a member of the Brisbane Heat’s inaugural Twenty20 Big Bash League squad.His return to the batting crease has opened a door for Kasprowicz, who had ended his playing days as a participant in the ICL T20 competition in 2008, before taking up the ACA presidency in November 2010.An amendment to the QC constitution made last year means that neither of the state’s CA directors are permitted to sit on the state board, in a sign of the game’s future governance direction. A review of the game’s outmoded board structure is also being conducted by the corporate and sporting governance experts David Crawford and Colin Carter.Upon taking the ACA post, Kasprowicz had said managing the introduction of the BBL, set to begin this December, would be one of the key tasks ahead of cricket administrators.”That’s something pretty exciting in Australian cricket,” he said last year. “It’s a great thing that we can take the game further, certainly at domestic level. What [the Big Bash League] provides for all the players is more opportunities to get noticed with eight teams in place. There are so many good outcomes that I think everything is looking forward.”Kasprowicz claimed 113 wickets in 38 Tests for Australia between 1996 and 2006.

County Championship cricket will be played using a pink ball under floodlights for the first time

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2011County Championship cricket will be played using a pink ball under floodlights for the first time after the ECB approached Kent and Glamorgan with a proposal to stage their final match of the season under trial conditions.Both teams have agreed on the proposal for the match at Canterbury on September 12 and the hours of play will be 2pm until 9pm – the floodlights will be turned on at 5.30pm but can be used earlier if needed – while players will wear white clothing. This particular match has been selected because neither side is in the Division Two promotion race.This is the latest stage in the trials to determine whether Test match cricket could be played in day/night conditions. There have already been various trials, including the annual MCC verses Champion County match which has been staged in Abu Dhabi for the last two seasons and also in Pakistan and West Indian domestic tournaments. They have also been used in county second XI cricket and university matches, while Cricket Australia will trial twilight matches during this season’s Sheffield Shield.Both ICC and MCC, who have led the way in the process, believe floodlit Test cricket can become a reality soon although one of the major sticking points has been the colour of the ball. Tests have suggested pink is the best version but there remain concerns over batting during twilight periods.The other factor that needs to be considered is the impact of dew, with can make the second innings of day/night one-day internationals very difficult, and that was an issue mentioned by Dave Richardson during the ICC’s cricket committee meeting in May.”The venue still needs to have decent lights, somewhere like Lord’s, Sydney or Abu Dhabi. You also need to play it at a venue, and time of year, where dew isn’t going to come in a seven o’clock,” he said. “You can have the best ball in the world but it would be unfair in those conditions.”With the English season drawing to a close in mid-September dew could well be a factor that Glamorgan and Kent have to deal with so it will give an indication of the potential impact.