All posts by csb10.top

South Africa have replaced Australia at the head of the ICC ODI rankings following Australia’s five-wicket loss to New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland. It is the first time Australia has slipped from the top spot since the rankings began, in October 2002.Australia’s defeat was their fourth consecutive loss – the first such sequence since 1997 – and fifth in their last six matches. South Africa on the other hand, have been in stunning form, having won seven of their last eight ODIs (with one washed out). Even if Australia win the final match of the Chappell-Hadlee series, in Hamilton on Tuesday, it will not be enough for the side to regain top spot.The rankings do have little more than just bragging rights at stake: the side that leads the table on April 1 stands to win US$175,000, with US$75,000 going to the second-placed team. With the World Cup starting in the Caribbean on March 13, there is still time and opportunity for Australia to regain top spot ahead of that cut-off date.There is little doubt that over the last year, South Africa have been the form team in world cricket. They have won 15 of 21 ODIs since failing to qualify for last year’s tri-series in Australia. The run includes a memorable 3-2 series win over Australia, sealed with a world record-chase at Johannesburg.In that time, South Africa’s ratings have increased by ten points while Australia’s have slipped by seven points. New Zealand’s win has lifted them to 111 points and they only trail third-placed Pakistan on decimal points. If they complete a clean sweep against Australia, they will move ahead.

The Indian Premier League’s Mumbai-based franchise has been named their team ‘Mumbai Indians’. Sachin Tendulkar, the team’s icon player, will captain the side, which also includes Sanath Jayasuriya and Shaun Pollock.”Mumbai Indians is a nice combination of senior players and youngsters, so I think we all will be looking forward to go out there, put up a perfect unit and perform well,” Tendulkar said after unveiling the team’s logo at a promotional event in Mumbai. “Twenty20 cricket is hugely popular everywhere and I have no doubt the IPL will be a hit.”Tendulkar said he was looking forward to open the batting with Jayasuriya: the last time he did so was back in 1998, while playing for the Rest of the World XI against MCC at Lord’s in a charity match held in memory of Princess Diana.The team logo for the Mumbai Indians has the Sudarshan Chakra with the team’s name engraved in it. The team’s colour – blue – is the same as that of the Indian national side.The franchise, owned by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd, was bought for US$ 111.9 million, making it the most expensive of the eight franchises. The team has three Sri Lankans in Jayasuriya, Lasith Malinga and Dilhara Fernando, while Pollock and Loots Bosman are the other overseas recruits. Robin Uthappa and Harbhajan Singh are the other India nationals in the side, which has promising local players in Abhishek Nayar and Ajinkya Rahane.

Dav Whatmore knows a thing or two about coaching struggling sides, and coaxing success out of whatever resources are at hand. He masterminded Sri Lanka’s World Cup win in 1996, and sparked a change in Bangladesh’s trajectory when he took over the coaching role there in 2003.He moved into his current position with Zimbabwe less than six weeks before the World Cup earlier this year, and was able to bring enjoyment and cohesion back into the team environment in remarkably quick time. Yet positive results haven’t been forthcoming, and on Tuesday Zimbabwe slipped to a 3-0 series defeat to India despite putting themselves into positions of dominance in all three matches.”That was a hugely disappointing effort in that first game. We honestly thought we should have won that. When you get so close, and you don’t, I think psychologically it becomes a little bit greater when you play the next one. We’ve got the potential, as you can see, we just need to transform our ability into performance, and that comes from here,” Whatmore said, pointing at his head.Though Whatmore prompted “a total 180 in the players’ mindsets” very quickly, according to former captain Brendan Taylor, he insists there is no quick fix for Zimbabwe’s issues.”It doesn’t happen like that,” Whatmore says, clicking his fingers to emphasise the point. “It never does. It takes a bit of time. If you look at the history of Zimbabwe cricket over the last four years, if you’ve done your research you’ll know that we’ve only played a handful of games. And to improve you need to go through certain situations more often. So hopefully boys will learn as quickly as possible, because we are now playing competition which we haven’t had in the past.”It’s okay to say ‘be patient with us’, it’s a cliche but I’m very pleased to have played these three games and we look forward very much to the future matches coming in this calendar year. And we look to improve. So please bear with us, we are trying really hard to get it right and we will need a bit more time. As other sides do.”Zimbabwe have been slightly surprised by the way these pitches have played, as ordinarily Harare Sports Club tracks ease out during the course of the day, particularly in winter. In this series, there has always been something on offer for the bowlers. They “briefly” considered batting first after Elton Chigumbura won his third toss in a row, Whatmore explained, “but this wicket generally gets a lot better than this. It’s sort of misbehaving a little more than what most of us thought. Generally speaking this wicket flattens out a little bit more, but it’s had some life in it right throughout.”India haven’t had it all their way in this series, slipping to 87 for 5 in the first match, losing 6 for 77 in the last 10 overs on Sunday, and wobbling at 82 for 4 today, but Zimbabwe were never able to land the killer blow and, as Whatmore admitted, “we’ve let them off the hook a couple of times”.The problem, for Chigumbura, is a lack of ruthlessness.”It’s just about being ruthless,” he said. “You tend to relax when you are on top, or sometimes some guys realise we’re on top. And also because of not playing many games regularly. I think the more we play the more we could quickly learn from these mistakes.”We need to dig deep when we get into these situations. I think that’s where we’re lacking. We always get into a good position, in almost every series that we play we’ll get one or two chances that we can take with both hands and win the game, but we don’t.”Zimbabwe have a quick turnaround in which to try to set things right before the Twenty20 series starts on Friday, but they can also look forward to an unusually full schedule in the months to come. With a little luck and a lot of hard work, particularly on the psychological aspect of their game, Zimbabwe could yet be another of Whatmore’s success stories.

The second ODI between Hong Kong and Scotland at Mission Road was abandoned without a ball bowled due to persistent rain across the city. The match had been pushed into a reserve day but that mattered little as wet weather continued from Thursday into Friday and with no chance of the field drying out, play was called off before the scheduled start time on Friday’s reserve day.The result meant each team got a point from the abandonment, which pushed Hong Kong above Netherlands into first place, though Netherlands has a chance to leapfrog Hong Kong when they play UAE on Friday in Abu Dhabi. Scotland is now in third place with seven points, one ahead of Kenya on the table.This was the third time in six scheduled WCL Championship matches during the current competition that Scotland has had to split points due to poor weather following a no result and a total abandonment in the Netherlands last September. Scotland also came close to missing out on maximum points in their opening two encounters at home in July against Nepal but managed to come away with two wins despite wet weather in Ayr.

South Africa have retained the same 12-man squad from the two-Test series against New Zealand for the first two matches against West Indies.Graeme Smith, who missed the Makhaya Ntini benefit match and the Twenty20 international against the visitors, has been included in the team.The side thrashed New Zealand 2-0 in the Tests, but veteran Shaun Pollock was continued to be left of the playing XI in favour of Dale Steyn.Steyn is likely to feature in the upcoming series as well, having wrecked New Zealand with ten-wicket hauls in both games.Morne Morkel, whose injury paved the entry of Dale Steyn into the XI during South Africa’s tour of Pakistan, will join the team in Port Elizabeth to continue his rehabilitation. However, he won’t be considered for either of the Tests.The Test series between South Africa and West Indies gets underway with the first starting December 26 at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth, while Cape Town will host the second Test from January 2-6.Squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Ashwell Prince, Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Andre Nel, Paul Harris, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini.

Kent chairman Carl Openshaw has written to the four counties who rejected the ECB’s proposal to award Kent an extra five points for their abandoned match at New Road, asking them to reconsider their decision in light of the exceptional circumstances.Durham, Lancashire, Warwickshire and Yorkshire refused to support the proposal to award Kent five additional points. But Openshaw picks out a series of arguments in Kent’s favour and highlights that they have been the innocent party after Worcestershire’s decision to stage the match at New Road so soon after the flooding.Worcestershire have since admitted it was a misguided decision and originally the ECB said the game would be replayed. However, after further matches were badly hit by the weather that decision was overturned, although Openshaw asks the county chairman to consider the different circumstances.”It is important to recognise that the failure to start and the subsequent abandonment of the match [at New Road] had nothing to do with prevailing weather conditions,” he wrote. “In contrast with the Roses match played over the same period, the weather had been relatively fine in Worcester in the days leading up to the match.”Whereas almost all league matches in the Manchester area that weekend were cancelled because of bad weather, local league games in the Worcester area proceeded uninterrupted.”There is surely no comparison between matches which, as happens in most seasons, are affected by heavy rain shortly before and during the game and the unprecedented situation of a ground under 12 feet of water 10 days before the scheduled start of a Championship match.”

Owais Shah says he is nearing his peak as a batsman following his recall to the England squad for the first Test against West Indies at Lord’s. After hitting 88 on his debut at Mumbai last March he was sent back to county cricket where his weight of runs – and a change of national coach – has brought him a second chance.”It has been frustrating but you have got to realise that the selectors are trying to do the best for Team England,” he told the Press Association. “I am somewhere near my peak as a batsman. In the last three or four years I have scored reasonably heavily in county cricket in both forms of the game and I like to be looked upon as a reliable batsman in the Middlesex line-up.”That’s something I strive to achieve and is my aim. That is something every top batsman at each county strives to do. I am just starting my Test career right now and who knows what will happen.”Shah is primarily in the squad as cover for Kevin Pietersen, but could also find a place in the side if England opt for seven batsmen. But whenever his next chance comes, Shah knows what to expect and doesn’t want to over complicate the situation.”I am 28 now. It would be wonderful if I could another Test and try to make myself into a regular Test player, whether I do or not time will tell, ” he said. “It is simple – I have just got to get out there and bat, face the ball, play tight and score runs.”Simple as that regardless of what shirt I am wearing Test cricket is still the same game, you just have one extra day. I’ve just got to back myself to get some runs. I don’t see it as a pressure situation. I just try to play every game is if it is my last and do my best whether I am playing for England, Middlesex or my club Ealing.”

Peter Moores, England’s coach, has backed Monty Panesar over Graeme Swann for a place in the Tests against Sri Lanka.”Certainly he is our No. 1 Test match spinner. You would expect him to do well over here,” Moores said. “Monty has proved he is an outstanding Test match bowler, and has been over the last couple of years.”Moores quashed speculation that Swann, the offspinner who was preferred to Panesar in the ODI series against Sri Lanka, might play ahead of Panesar as he is a better batsman and fielder.”Nothing against Graeme, because he has done well in the one-day games, but he still has stuff to do,” Moores said. “He has a great opportunity because he showed in one-day cricket what an aggressive spinner he can be and at times we might play two.”Monty has taken his wickets at 30 [runs] apiece, which is very good. He will be looking at this trip as a chance to keep that progression going. The one thing you can say about Monty is that he has grown a lot as a bowler in the last few Test matches.”Panesar, for his part, is not taking his place for granted and says he is ready for the challenge to his position as first-choice spinner.” I’m used to being in these positions where I don’t know if I’m going to play or not,” he told the Daily Mirror, “but I’ll just keep giving myself the best chance. I remember when I was out for two years, not playing first-class cricket. I could easily have given up … but you just keep persevering, keep staying patient, and you gradually think your chance will come if you keep doing that. That’s the way I try and do things.”England play two three-day warm-up games in Colombo before the first Test starts in Kandy on December 1.

ScorecardAn unbroken 73-run stand between Jimmy Maher and Stuart Binny saw the Hyderabad Heroes clinch an unlikely win at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium.Strikes from Sujay Tarafdar and Nantie Hayward had reduced the Heroes, chasing 166, to 28 for 3, before a 54-run stand between Justin Kemp and opener Jimmy Maher. Tarafdar’s wicket of Kemp triggered another collapse and at 95 for 6, the Heroes were staring down the barrel.However, then came the whirlwind 73-run stand off just 6.1 overs, with which the Heroes sealed the game with four balls and four wickets to spare. Stuart Binny, the son of former India allrounder Roger Binny, was the chief architect of the chase, smashing 44 off just 19 at No. 8. Maher stayed right till the end; his 59-ball 65 anchored the innings, but even his Man-of-the-Match effort would have been in vain had it not been for Binny’s heroic knock.In all, Binny hit five four and two sixes, and finished his innings with a strike-rate of 231.57. Both Andre Adams and Lance Klusener went at more than ten an over.At the toss, the Heroes’ Chris Harris choose to field, and the move didn’t seeming to be working when Klusener blazed away. He biffed his way to 73 off 42 balls, with seven fours and five sixes. Twenty-one runs were taken of a Syed Sahabuddin over.Harris struck twice for the Heroes, also removing Klusener during his 3-0-16-2. Once Klusener fell in the 15th over, the Tigers were unable to keep up the momentum and they scored 165 for 5, at least 10-15 runs short of they would have expected in the first place, and what perhaps was the key difference in the final equation.

Match facts

Sunday, May 11, 2008
Start time 20.00 (local), 14.30 (GMT)

The Big Picture

As the Indian Premier League enters its second half, the matches hold more importance for the teams in the bottom half of the points table. The Rajasthan Royals are at the top of the league, and know that another couple of wins will virtually cement a semi-final berth. Delhi, on the other hand, are fourth and a defeat in Jaipur will give Kolkata and Mumbai a chance to draw level with them.Shane Warne’s men haven’t lost a game at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, winning all four of their matches there. They seem to have developed successful formula: win the toss and field, restrict the opposition with their versatile bowling attack, and chase down targets at a comfortable pace. Rajasthan won all three games in which Warne put the opposition in and also won the two matches in which they were asked to chase. Their only two defeats came when they batted first.These teams played each other in their first match of the tournament and Delhi won that game by a massive nine-wicket margin. Delhi also prefer chasing, and have successfully gunned down three out of four targets. Their strength lies in their opening combinations: Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir with the bat, and Glenn McGrath and Mohammad Asif with the new ball. Sehwag and Gambhir are among the top three run-scorers in the tournament and Shikhar Dhawan, the No. 3 batsman, complements them well with an average of 51. The weakness lies in their middle order, where their international stars, Shoaib Malik and AB de Villiers, are yet to make a significant contribution. Dismiss the openers cheaply and negotiate McGrath with the new ball and half the battle is won against Delhi.

Tournament position

Rajasthan Royals P8, W6, L2, NRR +0.605
Delhi Daredevils P7, W4, L3, NRR +0.654

IPL form (last five matches)

Rajasthan Royals: WLWWW
Delhi Daredevils: LLWWL

Watch out for …