A round-up of the latest round of matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2012

North Zone

Delhi cruised to their fifth win in as many games in the North Zone group, winning by 62 runs against Services at the Feroz Shah Kotla and comfortably topping the points table. Delhi chose to bat, and all their batsmen barring Yogesh Nagar got into double figures, carrying the team to 275 for 7 in their 50. Shikhar Dhawan, Jagrit Anand and Puneet Bisht all made half-centuries. Services were off to a poor start, losing opener Jasvir Singh for a golden duck. They never really recovered, losing wickets at regular intervals. The only substantial contribution came from captain Yashpal Singh, who made 95. Eventually, Services were bowled out for 213 in 47 overs, with Pawan Suyal claiming 3 for 45.Punjab secured their place in the knock-out rounds with an 84-run win against Himachal Pradesh at the Model Sports Complex. Batting first, Punjab put in a team effort – their top five all made double-digit contributions, with Gurkeerat Singh top scoring with 59. Rahul Singh produced the best figures for Himachal, taking three wickets in a tidy spell, as Punjab set a target of 218. Any hopes Himachal harboured of chasing that down were dashed by left-arm spinner Rajwinder Singh. He scalped five wickets for only 20 runs in 9.5 overs, resulting in Himachal folding for 133 in 41.5 overs.There was not much to celebrate at the Haryana–Jammu & Kashmir clash at the Palam A Ground, with Haryana missing out on a spot in the knock-outs and J&K slipping to their fifth loss. Haryana’s 22-run win over J&K meant they finished on 14 points in third place, with Punjab edging ahead of them courtesy their win against Himachal. Haryana only managed 198 for 8 – Raman Dutta did most of the damage for J&K with a maiden List A five-for – but that proved to be quite enough. Legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal led the Haryana bowlers’ charge, claiming a career best 6 for 24, as J&K were limited to 174 in 44.4 overs.

West Zone

Maharashtra will proceed to the knock-out stages of the Vijay Hazare Trophy from the West Zone group, alongside Mumbai, despite their six-wicket loss to Baroda at the Bandra Kurla Complex in the final round of group matches. Maharashtra chose to bat and were skittled out for 124 in 32.3 overs, their chief destroyers being the new-ball pair of Munaf Patel and Murtuja Vahora – the picked three wickets apiece. The chase was set up by Baroda’s opener, Kedar Devdhar, who made 52 from 41 balls to all but seal the match. Left-arm spinner Akshay Darekar picked up three of the four Baroda wickets to fall.In the other match in the group, Saurashtra were beaten by four wickets by Gujarat at the Wankhede Stadium, meaning they go out of the competition winless. Saurashtra chose to bat, but the batting failed woefully. Only Cheteshwar Pujara put together an innings of note, scoring a solid 80 out of Saurashtra’s 173. Pujara – the last man to be dismissed – was briefly supported Chiraj Jani, who made 42. Rush Kalaria picked up four wickets in the innings. In the chase, Saurashtra’s Kamlesh Makvana and Nayan Doshi struck with regularity, but a succession of cameos was enough to see Baroda through in the 40th over.

Stuart Law has resigned as Bangladesh coach after nine months in the job, citing personal family problems

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Apr-2012Stuart Law has resigned as Bangladesh coach after nine months in the job, citing family reasons. He will stay on till the end of June, when his contract expires.His decision to quit comes less than a month after Bangladesh reached the final of the Asia Cup, widely seen as one of their finest achievements.”It is with great regret and a heavy heart that today I announce my stepping down as the head coach of Bangladesh,” Law said.He said he will move back to Australia after two and a half years in the subcontinent, which included a coaching stint with Sri Lanka. “Living away from the family and not seeing people growing up, I think we all understand that family comes first,” he said. “Cricket has been a huge part of my life but over the years I have realised that there is nothing more important than the family and if they are not happy then I am not happy and something had to give.”Law had taken over as national coach last July, and though the initial results were disappointing – including losses to Zimbabwe – the home season ended with Bangladesh upsetting India and Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup, before losing the final in a last-ball finish.The BCB did not give any indication of who would replace Law. However Dean Jones, who had a brief stint in the Bangladesh Premier League as technical director of Chittagong Kings, announced his presence in the fray. “Yes the Bangladesh Cricket Board has asked me if I would be interested to coach the national team.. Considering options,” he tweeted.Law’s decision appeared to have come as a surprise to those in the team. Tamim Iqbal said he was completely unaware about Law’s intentions after the Asia Cup. “I’m completely taken by surprise. But family comes first,” Tamim told ESPNcricinfo.Bangladesh media committee chairman Jalal Yunus said the board understood Law’s decision. “As he (Law) has said the family was his priority and that should be the case for all of us,” Yunus said. “We are sorry to see him go, especially at a time when under his guidance the Bangladesh team is doing really well and showing good consistency.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the 24th match of the IPL between Chennai Super Kings and Pune Warriors in Chennai

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran 18-Apr-2012

Match facts

Thursday, April 19, 2012
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Chennai slipped after their fantastic chase against Bangalore•AFP

Big picture

For the third time in as many seasons, Chennai Super Kings have got off to a slow start in the competition. They have three defeats from five games, with their two victories coming against teams placed lower than them in the points table. It could have been worse though. The heist they pulled off against Royal Challengers Bangalore should have boosted their morale. They are back at home in the return match against Pune Warriors, their previous opponents. Their batsmen were strong against the Warriors quicks, but against the spinners they managed 63 runs in ten overs. In the end,155 wasn’t enough. They should expect to do better at home, given the batting-friendly conditions. However, a hamstring niggle for captain MS Dhoni, which makes him a doubtful starter, and Albie Morkel’s return to South Africa after the death of a friend, will have them worried ahead of the game.Warriors have injury worries of their own. Ashok Dinda* impressed with his economical last over in their last game against Royal Challengers but, on the down side, also picked up a side strain in the match. That means he could miss this game. Also, Warriors have had only a day to recover from that loss. There, their bowlers tightened the noose in the first ten overs, giving away only 63, but lost the plot especially in the final over. With 21 to defend, the bowling team would always back itself but AB de Villiers and Saurabh Tiwary manufactured their own luck and pulled off a thriller. Warriors’ batting looks settled, with their openers Jesse Ryder and Robin Uthappa scoring a fifty each. However, Sourav Ganguly is due for a bigger score, with an average of 12.20 in five games.

Players to watch

With 171 runs in five games, Faf du Plessis, is the leading run-scorer for Super Kings. He has been solid at the top of the order and was the Man of the Match against Royal Challengers, with his 71 off 46 balls keeping his team in the hunt in their tall chase of 206.The match will be Sourav Ganguly‘s 50th appearance in the IPL. Ganguly has scored 1142 runs in the tournament so far. However, only 111 have come till now in this season. Amid questions over his fitness and form, Ganguly could find Super Kings’ spin-heavy bowling attack to his liking.

Stats and trivia

Bilal Shafayat made 93 in his first appearance for Hampshire while Jimmy Adams’ century helped lead the hosts to 352 for 8

David Lloyd at West End11-May-2012
ScorecardHampshire captain Jimmy Adams scored 122 to end a run of poor form•Getty Images

Some counties wait all season for a successful comeback but Hampshire had two in a day here, with Bilal Shafayat making 93 and Jimmy Adams pressing on to 122 after the hosts had been stuck in on what appeared, at first sight, to be a seamer’s dream of a pitch.Shafayat’s return to centre stage was especially remarkable, given that his Championship career looked as though it might have stalled, never to start again. Released by Notts at the end of the 2010 season, he played only second XI cricket last year and was signed up by Shropshire for their Minor Counties campaign this term. In some ways, though, Adams’ innings was even more pleasing for Hampshire. Their captain missed the last two Championship games for undisclosed “personal reasons” and, before that, four innings had brought the opener only 24 runs.Prospects did not look great for any batsman when, after two days of rain, the covers were removed this morning to reveal a green pitch. No wonder table-topping Derbyshire opted to bowl first – and no surprise, either, when Hampshire found themselves one down through Liam Dawson snicking a catch to second slip.In truth, though, the hosts were not required to play nearly enough against the new ball and when they did find themselves pressed into action, it came off the surface so slowly that adjustments could be made. But, that said, the stand of 164 between Adams and Shafayat was still special enough to have home supporters purring with pleasure.Shafayat looked to have the cricketing world ay his feet during the early stages of his career. He made a Championship debut for Notts in 2001, when still a week short of his 17th birthday, scoring an eye-catching 72. Soon enough, the youngster was not only playing for England Under-19s but also captaining them and huge things were expected. Somehow, though, Shafayat failed to kick on. A spell at Northamptonshire did not do the trick, nor did a return to Trent Bridge, and when Notts decided to let him go in 2010 he had averaged less than 12 across six Championship matches and his career figure was down to a distinctly modest 29.72.Since then, Shafayat’s only first-class cricket has been played in Pakistan but neither that nor a second XI double century for Hampshire last season had persuaded anyone over here to take a serious punt on him – until now. Hampshire decided to register the 27-year-old last Friday on a short-term basis and a combination of events this week (with Michael Carberry playing for England Lions and this game being reduced to a two-day affair, thereby encouraging the hosts to leave out a front-line bowler) brought about his selection.It will take more than this knock – lasting 93 balls and containing 17 fours, many of which were clipped, turned and forced through the leg side – to remove ‘riled Ricky Ponting’ from the top of Shafayat’s CV. But it’s a good start. “I don’t want that to be my only claim to fame,” he said with a smile when reminded of how he annoyed Australia’s captain while serving as England’s 12th man during the tense final stages of the drawn 2009 Ashes Test in Cardiff.Required, on two occasions, to take gloves and water to last pair Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar, Shafayat felt the rough edge of Ponting’s tongue for playing his part in what the boys in Baggy Green saw as a dastardly time-wasting plot. Here, Shafayat appeared all set to celebrate a century until chasing a wide one from seamer Jonathan Clare to edge a catch behind. He left to warm applause but looked particularly disappointed, and understandably so.As for Adams, he showed why his name was in the England frame not so long ago, producing a steady stream of straight and cover drives. His hundred was reached off 176 balls and the left-hander looked set for a big one until he was rightly sent back by Sean Ervine and run-out. Still, Hampshire’s stall had been well and truly set out and, although wickets fell regularly during the second half of the day, the home side were more than happy with their 352 for eight. And they may be happier still if they can persuade Derbyshire to set up a contest on Saturday through the forfeiture route.”I think they are keen but we’ll talk again in the morning,” Adams said. “We want to have an entertaining final day if we can and hopefully we’ll have a game for everyone tomorrow.”And as for the two major run-makers? “It was pretty obvious I’ve been short of runs so it’s nice for me to get back and make some,” said Adams. “But I thought Bilal played magnificently and it was a pleasure to bat with him. He has scored buckets of runs for our second team, it was a great effort from him today and it gives us a few good headaches and some tough decisions for next week.”

An SLC official has told ESPNcricinfo that they have issued 13 bid applications for the seven franchises so far, with significant interest from investors based in India as well

Tariq Engineer20-Jun-2012There is a healthy appetite for the privatisation of cricket in Sri Lanka, going by the number of potentially interested investors in the Sri Lanka Premier League. Despite uncertainty about the participation of Indian players in the event, an SLC official told ESPNcricinfo that they have issued 13 bid applications for the seven franchises so far, with significant interest from investors based in India as well.”The last date for submitting the bids is June 25, so we could see as many as 15 or 16 applications being bought,” the official said.The base price for the franchises has been set at US$3 million, a far cry from the $50 million that the IPL set for the first team auction in 2008, but Sri Lanka is a much smaller market than India and the SLPL franchises are not being sold outright. They are being leased for a period of seven years, after which the franchisees will have to renegotiate their deals.The decision to franchise the teams is a marked difference from the original intention last year, when SLC would have retained ownership of all seven teams rather than involve private enterprise. The results of the process are bound to be closely watched, as they could provide a blueprint for smaller countries that want to host their own Twenty20 leagues.The deadline to submit bids is 2pm on June 25, and all the bids will be opened later the same day. The same investor can bid for up to three franchises. If one bidder submits the highest bid for more than one franchise, they will be allowed their choice of franchise. Once the franchises have been allotted, a player draft will be held to determine the composition of the teams.The tournament starts on August 10, with the final to be held on August 31. There will be 24 games in total, split between Colombo and Pallekele.

South Africa will play a Gabba Test for the first time in 49 years and Sri Lanka will return to the MCG for their first Boxing Day Test since Muttiah Muralitharan was no-balled for throwing in 1995, as part of Australia’s international schedule for 2012-1

Brydon Coverdale19-Jul-2012South Africa will play a Gabba Test for the first time in 49 years and Sri Lanka will return to the MCG for their first Boxing Day Test since Muttiah Muralitharan was no-balled for throwing in 1995, as part of Australia’s international schedule for 2012-13. The summer will also feature a Twenty20 against Sri Lanka at Sydney’s Olympic Park on January 26, the first time in a decade Adelaide Oval has missed out on hosting the national team on Australia Day.Australia will also play an international in Canberra for the first time, a one-dayer against West Indies, who will visit for a five-match ODI series in February. The one-day tri-series, which was reinstated last summer when India and Sri Lanka competed, has not surprisingly been ditched again, and both Sri Lanka and West Indies will play separate limited-overs series against Australia.The international season will begin at the Gabba on November 9 with the first Test against South Africa, who will then move on to play Tests in Adelaide from November 22 to 26 and Perth from November 30 to December 4. South Africa’s desire to play cricket at home around the Christmas-New Year period meant the only option was to play them earlier in the season.The Gabba match will be South Africa’s first Test in Brisbane since 1963, when Ian Meckiff was no-balled for throwing and Graeme Pollock made his Test debut. Australia have not lost a Test at the Gabba since 1988, when West Indies beat them, and facing Dale Steyn and his colleagues at the venue could provide them with their toughest challenge yet to keep that record alive.Sri Lanka’s three-Test series begins in Hobart on December 14, and it could be an extra special match for the Tasmanian fans. If Ricky Ponting plays all three Tests against South Africa he will be in line to break Steve Waugh’s all-time record of 168 Test appearances for Australia and he will do so at his home ground, Bellerive Oval.Sri Lanka will then play the MCG Boxing Day Test for only the second time, and while the first holds dark memories for the Sri Lankans after Muralitharan’s no-balling, both teams have moved on since then. Ponting is the only man who played in that Test who is likely to be part of this year’s Boxing Day encounter, and the Sri Lankans have enjoyed success at the MCG in the shorter formats over the past few years.The Test summer finishes with the third Test against Sri Lanka, at the SCG from January 3 to 7, before the limited-overs part of the season kicks in. From January 11 to 23, Sri Lanka play five ODIs at the MCG, Adelaide Oval, Gabba, SCG and Bellerive, before two Twenty20 internationals in Sydney on January 26 and Melbourne on January 28.It will be the first time since 2003 that Adelaide Oval has not hosted the national team on Australian Day, a decision that came about largely because the venue is being redeveloped and will have a reduced capacity this summer. Adelaide’s Australia Day tradition is expected to resume when the ground’s redevelopment is complete.The final part of the international summer will consist of five ODIs and a T20 against West Indies from February 1 to 13. As part of Canberra’s centenary celebrations, Manuka Oval will host an ODI on February 6, and the other one-dayers will be held at the WACA, SCG and MCG, before the Gabba finishes the international season with the one-off T20.”Over the last 12 to 24 months we’ve seen some young and exciting talent injected into the Australian men’s team and those changes are starting to reap the rewards of the hard work led by Michael Clarke and Mickey Arthur,” James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said. “The Australian men’s team has a chance to test themselves early in the summer against a very strong South African side and the series is a great way to start the program.”We’re also fortunate to have Sri Lanka back again. They play a very entertaining and attacking style of cricket and as we saw last year have a passionate and vocal fan base around Australia. This year we also return to head-to-head Commonwealth Bank Series and a highlight will be the Australian men’s team first international match in Canberra.”The match is part of a big year of celebrations for Canberra and fans will be spoilt for choice with West Indies playing in the city twice and Sri Lanka once over the course of the summer. The Test and one-day series are again complemented by KFC T20 Internationals, including the Australia Day blockbuster at Sydney Olympic Park that I’m confident will draw a bumper crowd after last year’s first international match at the venue.”Australia’s schedule for 2012-13
Nov 2-4: Australia A v South Africans, Sydney

Nov 9-13: Australia v South Africa, 1st Test, Gabba
Nov 22-26: Australia v South Africa, 2nd Test, Adelaide Oval
Nov 30-Dec 4: Australia v South Africa, 3rd Test, WACA

Dec 6-8: CA Chairman’s XI v Sri Lankans, Manuka Oval, Canberra

Dec 14-18: Australia v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Bellerive Oval
Dec 26-30: Australia v Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, MCG
Jan 3-7: Australia v Sri Lanka, 3rd Test, SCG

Jan 11: Australia v Sri Lanka, 1st ODI, MCG
Jan 13: Australia v Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI, Adelaide Oval
Jan 18: Australia v Sri Lanka, 3rd ODI, Gabba
Jan 20: Australia v Sri Lanka, 4th ODI, SCG
Jan 23: Australia v Sri Lanka, 5th ODI, Bellerive Oval

Jan 26: Australia v Sri Lanka, 1st T20I, Sydney Olympic Park
Jan 28: Australia v Sri Lanka, 2nd T20I, MCG

TBC: Prime Minister’s XI v West Indians, Manuka Oval, Canberra

Feb 1: Australia v West Indies, 1st ODI, WACA
Feb 3: Australia v West Indies, 2nd ODI, WACA
Feb 6: Australia v West Indies, 3rd ODI, Manuka Oval, Canberra
Feb 8: Australia v West Indies, 4th ODI, SCG
Feb 10: Australia v West Indies, 5th ODI, MCG

Feb 13: Austalia v West Indies, Only T20I, Gabba