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Ashish Bagai will lead a young 15-member Canadian squad for the 2011 World Cup, and Rizwan Cheema will be his deputy

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2011Ashish Bagai will lead a young Canadian squad to the 2011 World Cup, and Rizwan Cheema will be his deputy. Apart from Bagai, seamer Henry Osinde and allrounder John Davison are the two other players in the side with prior World Cup experience.Canada have four Pakistan-born players in their squad who are still waiting to receive visas to enter India, where Canada play four of their six group games. Batsman Rizwan Cheema, allrounder Umar Bhatti, paceman Khurram Chohan and back-up keeper Hamza Tariq were all ruled out of Canada’s recent pre-tournament warm-up in India because they couldn’t enter the country, but have been named in the World Cup squad.The team features seven players who have come through Canada’s youth programs, including six who have represented the country at the under-19 level – Zubin Surkari, Nitish Kumar, Hiral Patel, Ruvindu Gunaskera, Parth Desai, and Hamza Tariq.The Jamaica-born Tyson Gordon has been picked, though he still awaits confirmation of his Canadian citizenship. Cricket Canada expect this to be completed in the coming days but have named Hamza Tariq as a standby in case Gordon cannot make the cut.The team leaves for a pre-tournament training camp in Dubai on January 26 and will head to Bangladesh on February 8 for warm-up matches against Bangladesh and England, before opening their tournament on February 20 against Sri Lanka.Squad: Ashish Bagai (capt & wk), Rizwan Cheema (vice-capt), Harvir Baidwan, Nitish Kumar, Hiral Patel, Tyson Gordon, Henry Osinde, John Davison, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Parth Desai, Karl Whatham, Khurram Chohan, Jimmy Hansra, Zubin Surkari, Balaji Rao.Standby: Hamza Tariq (for Tyson Gordon)

The ‘Baby’ Blues have struck again, this time cruising past the Queensland Bulls by 17 runs at the Gabba – the final scoreline flattering the hosts who were never really in the contest during the second innings

The Bulletin by Andrew Fuss24-Jan-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSean Abbott pulled off an outstanding catch in addition to taking three wickets as the Blues’ teenagers shone in the field•Getty Images

The ‘Baby’ Blues have struck again, this time cruising past the Queensland Bulls by 17 runs at the Gabba – the final scoreline flattering the hosts who were never really in the contest during the second innings.On a pitch on which 160 looked like it would be a par score, the New South Wales Blues won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first. The visitors, however, battled to find the boundary and found themselves reeling at 5 for 72 in the 13th over, having broken the record for the lowest number of runs scored in the Powerplay during the season – 1 for 30.Moises Henriques (34 off 27 balls) and Man-of-the-Match Ben Rohrer (47 off 25) then joined forces for a handy 44-run partnership to give the Blues some hope of a respectable total.It was Rohrer – the only batsman to look comfortable on an, at times, two-paced pitch – who did the most damage, helping his side take 38 off the final three overs to reach 7 for 140.The Bulls’ big hope in the run chase – the dynamic Chris Simpson – started terribly, connecting with the ball just once (a top-edged six over third man) in the first ten deliveries he faced, including seven missed pull shots.Captain Stuart Clark (1 for 13) and teenager Patrick Cummins (3 for 24) were superb, bowling the visitors into a commanding position before another teenager, Sean Abbott (3 for 15), finished the hosts off with some good stump to stump bowling to tear through the middle order.Cummins, 17, looks to be a future Australia paceman and was unlucky not to have more economical figures; most of the runs off his bowling coming from edges through the slips.In a sign of just how poorly the Bulls did with the bat, it was No. 10 Nathan Rimmington who top scored for them, blasting his way to 24 off just 11 balls in the final overs.Queensland will play their second game in two days when they host Western Australia in what has now become a knockout match, before they travel south to face New South Wales again on Saturday.

Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, believes the World Cup will be a better event without the weaker Associate nations, but hopes the ICC’s decision doesn’t hurt the development of the game around the world

Brydon Coverdale in Ahmedabad20-Feb-2011Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, believes the World Cup will be a better event without the weaker Associate nations, but hopes the ICC’s decision doesn’t hurt the development of the game around the world. The ICC has decided the next World Cup will feature only ten teams, and the Associates will have to use the World Twenty20 as their major chance for exposure to the top level. They have not yet revealed what the qualification for the 50-over World Cup will be.It’s a move that has understandably angered plenty of the Associates, who have also received support from leading players such as Graeme Swann, AB de Villiers and Shaun Tait. However, Kenya’s capitulation for 69 against New Zealand, and Canada’s struggle to contain Sri Lanka on Sunday highlighted one of the problems of adding the less competitive teams to the tournament, according to Ponting.”That’s a tough question, for the sheer fact that you need to be bringing some of these smaller nations on in the world of cricket,” Ponting said when asked if the Associates should play in the World Cup. “We all want to see the game develop and blossom in different countries around the world. I’ve always been a bit unsure if World Cups and Champions Trophies are the right place to do that.”The major reason for that is I’m not sure how much a lot of the teams actually learn when they’re getting hammered like they tend to do in a lot of those contests. It would probably be a better tournament if there were fewer teams, but we understand the responsibility for the game to continue to grow around the world as well.”Ponting’s Australian side will meet Canada and Kenya in the group stage this year, while Netherlands and Ireland are the Associates in the other group. One thing the ICC’s decision has done is give the minnows something to prove during the current World Cup.”It is so important for us to put out strong performances and show everyone, including the ICC, how much progress the Associates have made and send further strong messages to all that we are competing,” Netherlands coach Peter Drinnen said. “We beat Bangladesh last year. We have beaten a full member in the shorter version [England at the 2009 World Twenty20]; other Associates have beaten full members. Whether we win or lose as long as the performances are there people can see the amount of progress we have made in the last three to five years with the introduction of the high performance programme.”Drinnen added his name to the growing list of players and coaches who think the move to restrict the number of teams will be bad for the game. “The gains [of playing against full members] are significant,” he said. “So it is so important that we keep getting those opportunities as that only enhances our development and increases our progress. To have those opportunities taken away, obviously, is going to be detrimental.”The 2015 World Cup will be held in Australia and New Zealand. The last time the tournament was hosted there, in 1992, was also the last time there were no Associates that took part.

Chris Broad once remarked that he had ‘run out of expletives’ to describe a passage of play.

While it might not have been exactly what Broad meant, the phrase would have been perfectly apt in summing up the third – and final – day of Somerset’s Champions

George Dobell at Taunton16-Apr-2011
Scorecard
Chris Broad once remarked that he had ‘run out of expletives’ to describe a passage of play.While it might not have been exactly what Broad meant, the phrase would have been perfectly apt in summing up the third – and final – day of Somerset’s Championship match against Warwickshire at Taunton.The pertinent points are these: Warwickshire beat Somerset by an innings and 382 runs. It is the sixth-largest margin of defeat in the history of the County Championship and the largest since 1921. It was also Somerset’s largest defeat since 1895.Afterwards Somerset’s captain, Marcus Trescothick, admitted he was at a loss to explain his team’s dreadful performance. “I’m baffled,” he said. “It’s not good enough and there aren’t any excuses. We’re all a bit confused by what’s just happened.”As well he might be. For Trescothick had just witnessed his team – who went into this game as favourites to lift the Championship title – dismissed in only 88 deliveries. While that would be shocking enough on any occasion, it was all the more remarkable for the fact that Warwickshire had, the previous day, amassed 642. Somerset could hardly blame the pitch.They couldn’t really blame the bowling, either. While Warwickshire, the excellent Rikki Clarke aside, bowled impressively, they will bowl far better and concede 400. The truth is that Somerset’s batting was awful. Quite wretchedly awful. Having lost 12 wickets in the morning session, and being forced to follow-on 432 runs adrift, it took only 10 deliveries after lunch to wrap up the game.Warwickshire deserve credit, though. Their four seamers, working as a pack, bowled with far more pace and skill than Somerset’s had mustered and managed to find life in a pitch that had previously appeared sedate.Clarke was the pick of the Warwickshire attack. Bowling at a sharp pace and with excellent control, Clarke generated steep bounce from the hitherto sluggish surface and looked, by some distance, the most menacing bowler on either side. This was just the second five-wicket haul of his career, but it will not take too many performances like this before he’s interesting the England selectors again.Chris Woakes also impressed. Woakes, swinging the ball both ways, planted a seed of uncertainty in the batsmen’s mind that grew to the size of an oak tree. He wasn’t quite at his best but, having taken 6 for 85 in the first innings, he claimed three more in the second, including the crucial scalps of Trescothick and Kieswetter. Trescothick later referred to him as a “class bowler” and a “great player” in the making; high praise, indeed.Woakes came within an ace of creating a little bit of history, too. Had he been able to take one more wicket, he would have become the first man to score a century and take 10 wickets in the same County Championship match since David Millns, an umpire in this game, did so in 1996. As it was, Woakes had to be content with becoming only the third Warwickshire man to score a century and take five wickets in a Championship innings since the war and the first since Dougie Brown in 2004.The only clouds on Warwickshire’s horizon are that Woakes looked in a little discomfort at the end of the game and Richard Johnson deputised for Tim Ambrose, who had pulled a muscle.Somerset had far more pressing problems. Their attack looked toothless and their batting lacked backbone. If this third day was a test of character, it is a test they failed in embarrassing fashion.They never seemed up for the fight. Instead of making Warwickshire fight for their wickets, the Somerset batsmen seemed intent on thumping boundaries and counter-attacking. It was, at best, a naive ploy. At worst, it demonstrated a lack of care. Really, this was an appallingly bad display. Their second innings score of 50 was their lowest first-class total since 1968 and the equal lowest ever against Warwickshire.The lowlights? Well, Arul Suppiah leaving a straight ball – not an inswinger – might sound hard to beat, but James Hildreth’s attempt to play another straight one through square leg was even less clever. Craig Kieswetter, perhaps forgetting that his job was to occupy the crease for a day-and-a-half, punched to point as he tried to force off the back foot and Charl Willoughby, looking as if he couldn’t be bothered to bat, suffered a king pair in just over an hour of cricket as he first tried to slog one over the old pavilion and was then yorked by Clarke. Menawhile Trescothick pushed at an outswinger and edged to cover and Jos Buttler pushed at one that bounced and left him. Perhaps Nick Compton, who looked as if he may have got some bat on one that nipped back, can count himself unfortunate, while Peter Trego remained unbeaten in both innings.It’s worth reflecting on Gemaal Hussain’s first game for Somerset, too. After conceding more runs than ever before, Hussain was dismissed twice, for a pair, within 89 minutes on the third morning. Might that be the worst debut in history?Afterwards Warwickshire’s new captain, Jim Troughton, was honest enough to admit that he, too, would have inserted had he won the toss, while Trescothick suggested little should be read into such a result. “We lost our first two games last year,” Trescothick pointed out, “but still finished equal top [on points] at the end. There won’t be any ‘bad-boy’ nets or anything like that. Those days have gone; at least at Somerset.”He’s probably right. After all, Nottinghamshire suffered a similar reverse – bowled out for 59 – last year and still went on to lift the Championship. It is a long season and the odd hiccup is to be expected. But an innings and 382-runs? That’s a mighty big hiccup.Warwickshire, meanwhile, can feel very proud of themselves. After their travails last year, many pundits thought they’d face a fight to avoid relegation this year. Perhaps they might yet, but they’ve started in superb fashion and with Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Mohammad Yousuf and Neil Carter to come into the team over the next few weeks, can look ahead with a little more confidence.

The Yorkshire offspinner and former England Under-19 captain Azeem Rafiq has joined Derbyshire on loan for a month

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2011The Yorkshire offspinner and former England Under-19 captain Azeem Rafiq has joined Derbyshire on loan for a month.Rafiq, 20, could make his debut in the CB40 match against the Netherlands on Monday. He has played seven first-class matches for Yorkshire plus a further 17 appearances in limited-overs cricket and 28 matches for England Under 19s.Four Youth Test appearances brought two five-wicket hauls and two fifties for Rafiq, who also notched a century in the second County Championship appearance of his career against Worcestershire in 2009.He hit the headlines for the wrong reasons in 2010 after a foul-mouthed outburst on Twitter against his Under-19 coach, John Abraham, but his arrival in Derbyshire was welcomed by their head of cricket, John Morris.”Azeem is a talented cricketer who gives us another option with the ball during an important month of cricket,” said Morris. “Opportunities to play first team cricket have been limited at Yorkshire, but now he has the opportunity to compete for a place both in Championship and one-day cricket here at Derbyshire.”

Rain thwarted Glamorgan’s efforts to bat Surrey out of the match on day three of their County Championship match at The Oval

26-May-2011
ScorecardRain thwarted Glamorgan’s efforts to bat Surrey out of the match on day three of their County Championship match at The Oval. The visitors were 46 without loss in their second innings – 181 ahead overall – when play was called off for the day at 4.15pm.Less than 14 overs were bowled before the weather put paid to any further play before lunch, in which time Glamorgan made short work of mopping up the Surrey tail as Chris Ashling claimed career-best figures of 4 for 47.Gareth Batty fended the second ball of the day low to the left of Gareth Rees at short leg to hand Will Owen a third scalp and then Ashling plucked out Chris Jordan’s off stump to make it 267 for 8. Three overs later, Chris Schofield spared Surrey the ignominy of following on when he took a single to long-on against Dean Cosker.But, having progressed to 30, Schofield skied an ugly slog-sweep to Cosker running in from cover. Tim Linley departed moments later as Cosker drew a line under Surrey’s 284.Heavy showers limited the afternoon session to little more than 11 overs’ action. Setting out with a 135-run first-innings lead, Rees and Will Bragg added an unbeaten 46 for Glamorgan’s first wicket before the heavens opened at 3.15pm.Bragg cut and then straight drove Jade Dernbach for successive boundaries as Tom Maynard carried out a creditable job behind the stumps in the absence of Steven Davies, who withdrew with an ankle problem, until Rory Burns, Surrey’s 2nd XI wicketkeeper arrived at The Oval.

The Ashes series finished more than four months ago, but for Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott it looked like only yesterday as the pair resumed their remarkable run-scoring combination

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan28-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlastair Cook and Jonathan Trott produced another huge stand to put England in control•Getty Images

The Ashes series finished more than four months ago, but for Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott it looked like only yesterday as the pair resumed their remarkable run-scoring combination with a century each in an unbroken stand of 240 in Cardiff. Cook reached his 17th Test hundred to continue his prolific form from Australia and Trott brought up number six to cement his mighty average as England moved to 287 for 2.Play was delayed until 2pm on a damp, chilly day and the atmosphere couldn’t have been more removed from the cauldrons of the Gabba and MCG, yet it made no difference to the hunger of either batsman. Cook’s hundred came from 224 balls when he collected his eighth boundary with a rasping cut off Suranga Lakmal and it was his fifth in ten innings since the 110 against Pakistan, at The Oval, when many were calling for his head. Trott’s followed not long after, from 196 deliveries, with a flowing cover drive in the first over of the second new ball, and the pair’s alliance became England’s best for any wicket against Sri Lanka.There is more rain forecast for the final two days, but England have the platform from which to put Sri Lanka under pressure although they will be down to a three-man bowling attack after James Anderson was diagnosed with a side strain. Despite the news that he won’t bowl again in this Test, and is a serious doubt for Lord’s, Anderson resumed as nightwatchman. However, he didn’t last long before jabbing Ajantha Mendis to slip with England having not added to their overnight total. Yet it didn’t harm England’s prospects as, unless a nightwatchman can score quickly, his presence tends to hold up the game and that wasn’t what this match needed after so many delays.Instead, it allowed the two major batting stars of the Ashes to join forces again. It was a slow start as they got used to facing Mendis and refused to chase the succession of wide deliveries from the seamers, but steadily the runs began to flow. The first boundary of the day came with a Trott square drive in the 12th over of the session and it was actually the removal of Mendis from the attack that helped England increase the rate.

Smart stats

• The undefeated 240-run stand between Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott is the highest for England against Sri Lanka, going past the previous of 202 by Marcus Trescothick and Mark Butcher at Edgbaston almost nine years ago.

• It’s also the fourth-highest third-wicket partnership for England in the last 20 years.

• In 16 partnerships, Cook and Trott have put together 1161 runs at an average of 82.92, with four century stands.

• The stand also continues outstanding sequences for both Cook and Trott. Cook has already scored 17 hundreds in only 66 Tests, and has been involved in 13 of the last 20 partnerships of 150 or above for England.

• In 19 matches, Trott averages 66.34 and has scored six hundreds. In his last 12 Tests he averages 95.30, with five hundreds.

Rangana Herath struggled to settle into a consistent line as he offered Cook an opportunity to put away an early cut then Trott drove him through the covers. At the other end Thisara Perera was dispatched for consecutive boundaries by Cook although the first of those flew between second slip and gully off the edge.Cook went to his fifty and Trott then began to catch him up with some trademark leg-side shots off the seamers who fell into the same trap as the Australians by bowling too straight. In the last over before tea the pair brought up their fourth hundred partnership in Tests and the one significant alarm in the entire stand came when Trott could have been run out by a direct hit from mid-on on 59, but Perera’s throw missed despite having three stumps to aim at.It was a rare opportunity for Sri Lanka and their attack was toothless on a slow pitch. Lakmal was wholehearted and Mendis economical, but from early on in the Cook-Trott stand there was the sense that Tillakaratne Dilshan wanted to protect what he had with 400 on the board rather than try and bowl England out. There was a period of an hour-and-a-half when they didn’t hit a boundary, but with sweepers in place ones and twos were on offer to keep the scoreboard ticking.As the final session progressed the scoring rate increased and either side of the two batsmen reaching hundreds runs came at more than five-an-over. The taking of the new ball helped England as the extra pace off the bat negated a slower outfield – Mendis conceded his first boundaries of the day when Trott twice put him through the covers – and Dilshan had to have a few more men in attacking positions. One thing the new ball didn’t do, though, was provide Sri Lanka a breakthrough and they face plenty more leather chasing in this innings.

Western Australia have launched an off-season raid on the eastern states, having added Nathan Rimmington, Travis Birt and Mark Cameron to their squad for 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jun-2011Western Australia have launched an off-season raid on the eastern states, having added Nathan Rimmington, Travis Birt and Mark Cameron to their squad for 2011-12. The move is not about youth – the three men are aged 28, 29 and 30 respectively – but filling specific gaps that the Warriors coach Mickey Arthur outlined last month in an interview with ESPNcricinfo.Arthur wanted a fast bowler to boost the attack and settled on Cameron, from New South Wales, along with Rimmington, from Queensland. Cameron played for Australia A last summer but injuries have limited him to 16 first-class appearances in nine seasons, and with the younger Patrick Cummins and Mitchell Starc competing for positions, he faced a challenge to hold his spot with the Blues.Rimmington has been a solid performer for the Bulls, but was viewed as more of a limited-overs specialist and had managed only nine first-class games in six seasons at Queensland. Arthur said the two men would add plenty to a Western Australia attack that had lost the experience of Ashley Noffke and Brett Dorey during the previous summer.”Nathan brings the ability to bowl at the death in one-day cricket, which is an area where we have been deficient,” Arthur said. “He offers a great deal of experience and is a tough character, someone who brings a great deal to the squad.”Mark bowls with incredible pace, and we have lacked that quality in recent years. He is an outstanding strike bowler and a genuine match winner when he is on the field. It is a fact that Mark has battled injuries in recent seasons, but we will manage his program carefully to ensure we get maximum impact from him when he takes the field next summer.”Arthur also spoke last month of searching for a wicketkeeper-batsman, and while Birt is far from a full-time gloveman, he has stepped into the role at times for Tasmania in the past few seasons. He is another man whose first-class chances have been limited recently – he played five Sheffield Shield games last season – but he has also played three Twenty20s for Australia.”In Travis we have filled a position available for an experienced batsman,” Arthur said. “He is an exceptional one-day player and also has a good track record in first-class cricket. He will add depth to our batting and create healthy competition for spots in the top six.”Birt and Rimmington have each signed on for two years, while the older Cameron has settled for a one-year deal. Meanwhile, Tasmania have secured the fast bowler Jackson Bird, 24, a Sydney grade cricketer who couldn’t force his way into the New South Wales side. All six states are finalising their playing lists for 2011-12, with full squads expected to be released in the next few weeks.

Zaheer Khan is likely to sit out the remainder of Lord’s Test and could even be a doubtful starter for second Test starting at Trent Bridge on July 29

Nagraj Gollapudi at Lord's22-Jul-2011Zaheer Khan is likely to sit out the remainder of Lord’s Test and could even be a doubtful starter for second Test starting at Trent Bridge on July 29. Though the Indian team management sent out a brief indicating that Zaheer could still play a part during the second innings of the Lord’s Test, it is understood that the bowler has expressed reservations in private with the team’s think tank.On Friday Zaheer remained positive after an hour-long strengthening session late afternoon on Friday. “I am feeling better. Let’s see how it goes,” Zaheer said as he walked back to the dressing room from the Nursery grounds, a fair distance, without any visible cramping.However, according to a team source, Zaheer does not want to risk and exacerbate the hamstring strain as it could be dodgy and force him to miss out on the entire series. Zaheer pulled out of the play midway into his second over of the third spell on the overcast Thursday afternoon, limping back to the dressing room holding his right hamstring. Till then Zaheer had dominated the England batsmen for the better part of the rain-affected first day, accounting for the English opening pair of Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook.Immediately Zaheer rushed to a nearby hospital to undergo an MRI scan and though no big damage was detected the bowler felt it was only better to play safe rather than rush back to the field. “It is a slight strain at the moment but if he played any further there is a real fear of it becoming a tear,” the source said.

Ajay Maken, the Indian sports minister, has slammed the BCCI for refusing to come under the Right to Information act

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Aug-2011Ajay Maken, the Indian sports minister, has slammed the BCCI for its stand against the transparency-enhancing Right to Information (RTI) Act and the proposed bill to regulate Indian sports bodies. The bill, which could cover the BCCI too, was discussed at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday but failed to gain approval and will now be re-worked.One of the main reasons the Indian board has given for staying out of the ambit of the RTI, which opens up to public questioning the institutions covered by it, is that the BCCI doesn’t rely on government money. “The BCCI is a non-governmental organisation, which has its own constitution and generates its own funds,” the BCCI president Shashank Manohar told the . “In fact, there are two orders passed by the country’s Chief Information Commissioner wherein it has been clearly stated that the RTI Act doesn’t apply to the BCCI.”Maken, though, countered by saying that the BCCI indirectly received government funds. “How about the tax exemptions?” Maken asked. “How about the land they get? How much did they pay for the Feroz Shah Kotla? We are not asking them to reveal anything to the government. We are asking them to be accountable to the people. “Another recommendation in the bill is that people over 70 years of age should be barred from heading sporting federations. “I wonder why the proposed age-cap is 70, not 65 or 60?” Manohar said. “And what has age got to do with administration as long as the person concerned is in good health?”Maken defended the introduction of an age limit. “What is their problem with age limit? Doesn’t the judiciary, the bureacracy have age limits? Why can’t a good example be followed? If someone remains a federation chief for ever why will vested interests not develop.”The proposed bill also called for the inclusion of former players in cricket administration. “I can only speak for the BCCI which has its own constitution and office-bearers are elected democratically by state associations and other affiliated units,” Manohar said.”We have former players like Anil Kumble, Shivlal Yadav and Mohinder Pandove holding key positions in their respective associations as well as in the BCCI after they were duly elected to their respective posts. In BCCI, we only involve former players to deal with cricket-specific issues like selection, technical matters, coaching, mentoring etc, leaving the administrative issues to elected representatives.”All said and done, cricket is the best administered sport in the country. It is not as if the BCCI is a closed-door body. It submits its annual audited accounts to the Registrar of Societies after the same is duly circulated and vetted by its member associations.”At the ICC annual conference in Hong Kong earlier this year, the ICC gave its member boards a two-year deadline to democratise in an effort to reduce government interference in cricket administration. Manohar cautioned against the possibility of government involvement in this matter as well. “The ICC has recently amended its constitution and empowered itself to take action against Member boards in case of undue government interference in functional matters.”