The Mumbai Police chargesheet on the IPL betting scandal has listed the matches involving CSK that were under its scanner, including one match where Gurunath Meiyappan allegedly bet against his own team

Amol Karhadkar22-Sep-2013The Mumbai Police chargesheet on the betting scandal in IPL 2013 has listed the matches involving Chennai Super Kings that were under its scanner, including one match where Gurunath Meiyappan allegedly bet against his own team winning. It also brings out, through transcripts of phone conversations, the alleged close links between Gurunath and the actor-punter Vindoo Dara Singh, to whom he provided match-related information that was then passed on to bookies.”During the match between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings on May 12, a conversation is available between Meiyappan and Randhawa [Vindoo Dara Singh] at 20:58,” the chargesheet said. “It mentions Meiyappan telling Randhawa [that] Chennai Super Kings will score 130-140 runs. Chennai Super Kings scored 141 runs that day. Such information is useful for session betting. Numerous conversations are available during the match that despite being the Team Principal of Chennai Super Kings, Meiyappan has placed bets on Rajasthan Royals winning the match.”The chargesheet also mentioned a recording at 9.59 am on May 14 in which Gurunath is supposed to have told Vindoo that the game between Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils scheduled for later that day will not take place because the stadium in Chennai did not have a stability certificate.The match did go ahead and the chargesheet contained further details of telephone conversations between Vindoo and Gurunath later that day. At 14:44, Meiyappan was on his yacht when he got this call from Vindoo – or, as the chargesheet put it, “Randhawa is heard scolding Meiyappan for being in his boat”. “You are the boss, go there … what those people is thinking, I want exactly.””At 19:26.34 on May 14, Randhawa [Vindoo] is heard querying to Meiyappan about the toss. In the same conversation, Meiyappan is heard telling Randhawa, ‘We win hundred percent.’ At 19:53 on May 14, Meiyappan is heard telling Randhawa, ‘no other changes in team.'”The chargesheet also includes Gurunath mentioning games between other teams. “At 15:56 on May 12, Meiyappan is heard instructing Randhawa based on internal information he has while discussing about the game between KKR and RCB in Ranchi. At 10:54 on May 13, Meiyappan is heard informing Randhawa that Sunrisers will win against Mumbai Indians on the match that was scheduled for the day. Meiyappan’s voice sample has been sent to the laboratory and we are awaiting the report.”The Mumbai police said they had established Gurunath’s association with the Chennai Super Kings team through material evidence. “We have confiscated materials and kit of Chennai Super Kings with the team logo from Meiyappan’s residence on May 26. It mentions him as ‘Team Principal’ on a few visiting cards. This establishes his association with Chennai Super Kings.”Witness Naresh Himmatlal Makani has said Meiyappan is an IPL team owner and has also recorded in his statement that BCCI president [sic] Rajeev Shukla has sent an email to Meiyappan as a team owner on 24-12-2011 and 09-01-2012. He has also recorded in his statement that he has been cheated since a team owner indulged in betting and has passed on information to bookies.”Gurunath’s Super Kings connections were widely known. As reported by ESPNcricinfo, he was present at the Chennai table during IPL auctions and represented the franchise at team meetings; he had a gold IPL accreditation card meant only for team owners.Gurunath was charged under sections 415, 420 and 417 of the Indian Penal Code, which deal with cheating and fraud, and section 130 of Bombay Police Act, which concerns cheating at games. He was also been charged under section 66A of the Information Technology Act, because police claimed that he had used mobile phones and an I-Pad for illegal betting, and two sections of the Gambling Act.

ESPNcricinfo previews the one-off ODI between Ireland and England at Malahide

Alan Gardner07-May-2015

Match facts

May 8, 2015
Start time 10.45am (0945 GMT)3:20

We want to play with freedom and confidence – Porterfield

Big picture

The UK is going to the polls but the outcome is likely to be weeks of uncertainty and procedural wrangling. Although we will have an idea of the results by the time Ireland and England begin their match in Dublin on Friday morning, the bargaining to form a government and choose a Prime Minister will have only just begun. If only it were as simple as a small committee of people identifying and appointing the right man for the job.Then again, maybe that isn’t such a straightforward process. A year ago, Peter Moores was about to take charge of England for the second time, starting with a bedraggled ODI in Aberdeen, having been declared “the outstanding coach of his generation” by Paul Downton, then England’s managing director. Now, with Andrew Strauss reportedly being measured up as Downton’s replacement in a new role as director of cricket, Moores has been forced to appeal for more time to finish the job; he might have some sympathy for David Cameron.Defeat to Ireland will probably not swing things either way for Moores, particularly as England have picked a young and experimental squad, but after a harrowing World Cup and the failure to win in the West Indies, his ratings are once again dangerously low. According to some, the votes may already have been cast. Nevertheless, Moores has flown straight from Barbados via Gatwick to take charge of things in Dublin.England’s squad is one for the future while Ireland are about to begin life under a new regime. John Bracewell will not take his place at the dispatch box across from Moores, as he is awaiting a work permit, but the New Zealander will be there in an observational capacity as Ireland target a first home win over England. The squad is much the same as that which did markedly better than England at the World Cup and, should the weather cooperate, there is the prospect of another big crowd to barrack from the back benches.Two years ago, England needed centuries from Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara to secure victory at Malahide, after Ireland had reduced them to 48 for 4 in pursuit of 270. This time both are at the IPL – where Morgan, England’s captain that day and at the World Cup, has just made his first significant score for Sunrisers Hyderabad – and Niall O’Brien has gone as far as to suggest Ireland are favourites. In Friday’s tightly contested marginal, England might rue the absence of their big beasts; whatever the result, Moores could still be short of a majority.

Form guide

Ireland LLWLW (most recent first)
England WLLWL

In the spotlight

Ireland’s XI is so settled that they are likely to field nine players who took part in their famous World Cup win in Bangalore four years ago. Less has been seen of Andy Balbirnie but the elegant Middlesex batsman looks likely to become another fixture in the middle order. He made his maiden ODI half-century against South Africa at the recent World Cup and then helped set up victory over Zimbabwe with 97.England have selected a clutch of talented tyros for this match and the sight of James Vince, Sam Billings and David Willey in one-day colours will enthuse many. Perhaps more significant than the debutants will be a return to international competition for Adil Rashid, who is likely to win his first cap since 2009. With current spin resources severely depleted, a bright display from Yorkshire’s one-time future star would strengthen England’s hand for the challenges to come.

Team news

The loss of Tim Murtagh to injury is a blow – he took 3 for 33 two years ago – but Ireland will otherwise be able to send out their best XI. Whether that includes Craig Young or the more all-round talents of Stuart Thompson – or even another spinner in Andy McBrine – may depend on the pitch. William Porterfield, meanwhile, is set to captain Ireland for the 200th time.Ireland (possible) 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Niall O’Brien, 5 Andy Balbirnie, 6 Gary Wilson (wk), 7 Kevin O’Brien, 8 John Mooney, 9 George Dockrell, 10 Alex Cusack, 11 Craig Young/Stuart ThompsonJames Taylor is set to lead England for the first time and there will be at least five ODI debutants in the side. Jonny Bairstow was named as wicketkeeper in the original squad but Billings is more than capable of playing as a specialist batsman. Zafar Ansari could miss out if Rashid, as expected, fills the spinner’s brief, while Somerset’s seam-bowling allrounder Lewis Gregory is the other option in the 13.England (possible) 1 Alex Hales, 2 Jason Roy, 3 James Vince, 4 James Taylor (capt), 5 Sam Billings, 6 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 7 David Willey, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Tim Bresnan, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Mark Wood.

Pitch and conditions

The surface at Malahide has previously provided a good contest between bat and ball, although this is the first time an ODI has been played there in May. A green pitch would not be surprising, although the sun has been shining in Dublin. That might change, however, with rain forecast for Friday afternoon.

Stats and trivia

• Ireland and England have met six times previously in ODIs, with Ireland winning once, at the 2011 World Cup
• England have played four times in Ireland – twice in Belfast and twice in Dublin – and never lost
• The last time England played five debutants in an ODI was against Pakistan at Old Trafford in 1996; their record, other than in the first-ever ODI, is the six fielded against West Indies at Headingley in 1973 (courtesy of Ask Steven)
• Tim Bresnan is the most experienced member of England’s squad, with 84 caps; the rest have 94 between them. Ireland’s 13 men have played in a combined total of 609 ODIs.

Quotes

“A lot of these guys thought they probably should have been at the World Cup – and to be honest, when you look at the strategy that was needed there, a lot of them perhaps should have been. They’ve got some big points to prove, and justify their case. So I don’t think they’ll be a soft target, that’s for sure.”
“It is an important game for everybody, not just Peter Moores. The whole team are right behind him, and it’s up to the individuals now to put in a match-winning performance in the middle.”

Teenager Nauman Anwar’s 54-ball 97 helped Sialkot Stallions post a total of 197 before their spinners throttled Lahore Lions by 74 runs in the final

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Haris Sohail shared a 111-run stand in 11.2 overs with Nauman Anwar•AFP

Teenage opening batsman Nauman Anwar’s 54-ball 97 helped Sialkot Stallions post a total of 197 before their spinners throttled Lahore Lions by 74 runs in the final.Electing to bat, Stallions lost three wickets inside four overs, but managed to race away to 39 by then. Anwar and Haris Sohail, who scored 47 off 34 balls, then put on 111 runs in 11.2 overs, effectively batting Lions out of the game. By the time Anwar was dismissed in the 16th over, he had struck 10 fours and six sixes.Despite no other batsman contributing significantly – only two others crossed double figures – Stallions ensured the scoring-rate didn’t drop. Aizaz Cheema picked up four wickets while left-arm spinner Qaiser Ashraf claimed three scalps.Lions’ chase began on the wrong note, as they lost Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez inside the first two overs before slumping to 25 for 4. Umar Akmal and Saad Nasim shared a 37-run stand, but after Umar was removed by off-spinner Bilal Asif for a 30-ball 35, there wasn’t much by way of resistance. Stallions’ spinners – Asif, Sultan Ahmed, Mukhtar Ahmed and captain Shoaib Malik – picked up seven of the eight wickets to fall.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq believes the Pallekele Test is his team’s best chance to beat Sri Lanka in their backyard, since the hosts will be without both Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara

Umar Farooq in Pallekele02-Jul-2015Pakistan might have been a dominant team in Sri Lanka before 2009, but in the last six years, they have enjoyed little success, having last won a series in the island nation in 2006. This is the first time since then that Pakistan have come close to registering a victory, with the series locked 1-1 ahead of the third and final Test. Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, felt his team had a big chance to create history since the hosts will be without both Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara for the final Test.Misbah felt Pakistan had big chance to create history. “We have the best chance against Sri Lanka because they are without their big players like Mahela and Sanga,” Misbah said. “I think we never will get such a chance to beat them here with a series locked at 1-1, as we’ve never come that close. So we are definitely wanting to win this. That is the only sense in the dressing room.”All the three Tests played at the Pallekele International Stadium thus far have been drawn, with rain affecting substantial chunks of play. Misbah, however, hoped to have five full days play so that Pakistan could force a result.”We will definitely try to have a result as the way cricket is being played, it always gets you a result,” he said. “But at the same time it’s important to have play for all five days so that it gives you a full chance and allows you to produce a result. In the last two Test matches, we lost a lot of time in between five days and hopefully here in Pallekele, we will have a full five days play uninterrupted.”Pakistan’s fine performance in the first Test in Galle was followed by a recurrence of their batting problems in the Colombo Test, where they lost 10 wickets in a day for 138.”Everybody knows our batting didn’t do well in the Colombo Test and still I am hoping they will come hard and score some runs. They are all experienced players and have been scoring runs from three to four series recently, so there isn’t really a worry as each one of the batsmen have ample runs under the belt. Now we are just looking forward to improve our performance with the bat.”What happened in Colombo (batting collapse) was a rare setback. In the last four to five series otherwise, if you look back, our batsmen have been scoring big runs against every team, even against the top sides. These kinds of things do happen sometimes, but hopefully the batsmen have realised their mistakes and learnt from them, and wont repeat them. “While Pallekele is likely to affected by the weather over the next five days, the surface is generally seen as seam-friendly. Pakistan have drafted Rahat Ali into the side to replace the injured Wahab Riaz, but there are chances that Imran Khan might also get a game. Mohammad Hafeez, who will face an ICC test in India on July 6, is likely to be replaced by Shan Masood, who had a good outing in Sri Lanka with Pakistan A in May. He scored 182 against Sri Lanka A in Dambulla.”We understand that the first two-three days are very well suited for the seamers but at the same time, we are lucky to have a legspinner (Yasir Shah) who is very effective in any kind of surface. We felt that in Pallekele, finger spinners are not that much effective and the legspinner is always going to have a role to play here, especially when you have a hard and bouncy pitch. So he is quite useful for us.”I think every player here representing Pakistan is good enough to replace anybody. We are confident and have got good resources. But at the same time, Shan is there and he, with the Pakistan A team last month, had scored a big century. He might get a chance as he is good enough replacement, and also a good batsman who has been knocking well in the nets.”

Offspinner Tharindu Kaushal and pacer Dhammika Prasad carved out Pakistan’s batting order, bowling the visitors out for 138 on the first day of the second Test at P Sara Oval

The Report by Rachna Shetty25-Jun-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsOffspinner Tharindu Kaushal and pacer Dhammika Prasad carved out Pakistan’s batting order, bowling the visitors out for 138 on the first day of the second Test at P Sara Oval. Pakistan’s batting implosion took place in the second session of the day – a rain-affected one with an interruption of 55 minutes – as they slumped from 70 for 2, losing their last eight wickets for 68 runs.Sri Lanka’s top order blunted Pakistan’s attack and they went to stumps at 70 for 1, trailing by 68 runs with Kumar Sangakkara and Kaushal Silva to take strike tomorrow.Sri Lanka had found themselves in a similar position in the Galle Test, when Pakistan’s top order had failed. In that game, Sarfraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq’s resistance had snatched the game away from Sri Lanka, but on a pitch known for its record of producing results, Sri Lanka’s attack tightened their grip on Pakistan, all without the help of Rangana Herath, who did not bowl an over in the day.At the centre of Sri Lanka’s effort was Kaushal, who was picked for the second Test in place of the injured Dilruwan Perera. He was given only one over before lunch, but he owned the second session with a spell of nine overs, conceding 35 runs for five wickets. He tossed up the ball, extracted sharp turn and also made use of the bounce on offer from the track.Kaushal, playing his first Test at home, deceived both Mohammad Hafeez and Asad Shadiq with turn. The 31st over, cleaved in half by a rain break, saw Kaushal trapping Shafiq plumb in front before Misbah-ul-Haq was run-out by a mile a result of poor calling between the Pakistan captain and Sarfraz.Sarfraz nudged and nurdled in his effort to revive Pakistan’s innings with the lower order but fell to a flighted delivery from Kaushal, going for the drive but only managing an inside edge that ballooned off his pad to Angelo Mathews at slip. Pakistan’s innings lasted only four overs after that and Sangakkara’s diving effort at long-on to dismiss Yasir Shah, after he had run from mid-on, fittingly capped off Kaushal’s five-for.If the second session belonged to Kaushal, it was the quicks Prasad and Dushmantha Chameera, making his debut, who set up the first, responding to the challenge of having to bowl first.Prasad struck early with Ahmed Shehzad’s wicket, bending his back to extract all the help he could find from the pitch, but just as impressive was Chameera, who harried Pakistan’s batsmen with speeds of 145kph in his first spell, and even reached the 150kph mark in the second session.There was swing on offer, too, and Chameera’s pace and accuracy discomfited Azhar Ali and Hafeez during their 46-run second wicket partnership. The pair found themselves squared up and often late on pulls and defensive shots, besides having to dig out accurate, swinging yorkers from the young pacer.Just as the pair had seen off the toughest period of play, Prasad returned in the 16th over and struck with his first ball, with umpire Paul Reifell overturning the on-field umpire’s decision and declaring Azhar out caught behind.Hafeez’s innings had held most of the first session together, and he hit some pleasing shots during his stay – the straight drive off Chameera to bring up Pakistan’s 50 was one of them. A partnership between him and Younis could have taken Pakistan to a very different situation, but the latter struggled in his 100th Test appearance, surviving two lbw shouts from Mathews on 0. In the first over after lunch, he tried dropping his wrists to what appeared to be a short delivery off Prasad. The ball didn’t sit up as much as he anticipated and he only ended up lobbing it to Dinesh Chandimal behind the stumps, setting off the implosion.Chameera also got among the wickets towards the end of Pakistan’s innings, when Zulfiqar Babar chopped a quick delivery on to his stumps.Before the game, Mathews had called for better shot selection from his batsmen and the manner of Dimuth Karunaratne’s dismissal would have come as a disappointment. The opener had worked for a start but chased at a full, wide delivery off Junaid Khan on 28. Silva survived a close review in the 19th over, when Pakistan went up in appeal for a catch at slip. Replays showed there was no contact between bat and ball, but later suggested the batsman was struck in line and there was a chance of an lbw, which appeared to remain unexplored. Silva finished unbeaten on 21, with Sangakkara on 18.

Rain put the brakes on but could not drown out Bangladesh’s chances of beating South Africa for the first time in a bilateral ODI series and recording a fourth successive series win at home

The Report by Firdose Moonda15-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details 1:19

Bangladesh’s fourth consecutive bilateral series win

Not reputation, not rankings, not even rain could stop Bangladesh from clinching a first bilateral series win over South Africa, and a fourth successive series triumph at home. Bangladesh dominated South Africa in every department, restricting them to a total of under 200 and then romping to the target themselves, with 13.5 overs to spare.On the way, Shakib al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza both picked up their 200th ODI wicket, Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar posted the best partnership for Bangladesh against South Africa – 154 – and Soumya scored the fastest fifty for a Bangladesh batsman against South Africa, off 41 balls. South Africa could only watch and wonder how Bangladesh seemed to be playing on a complete different surface to the slow, strangling one that had snared them earlier.South Africa’s top order struggled against the shrewd approach from Bangladesh’s bowlers, who collectively put in another disciplined performance. Only JP Duminy and David Miller had some measure of conditions, adding 63 runs for the fifth wicket. Duminy went on to a half-century but there were little resistance from anyone else, even the recognised batsmen.Quinton de Kock’s failure to find form extended to another innings as Mustafizur Rahman found his leg stump with a full delivery that angled in and evaded the batsman as he tried to play to mid-wicket.Shakib was introduced in the sixth over and immediately caused problems for South Africa’s most experienced pair. Neither Hashim Amla nor Faf du Plessis adjusted to the pitch of the ball, and when du Plessis attempted to counterattack, he was caught off a top edge.Four overs later, Shakib should have had Amla as well. Amla played a similar to du Plessis’, but Sabbir Rahman, who had to backpedal from mid-off to judge the catch, could not hold on. Shakib was not denied for too long, though. In his next over, Amla was caught behind to become Shakib’s 200th ODI wicket.Mahmudullah had Rilee Rossouw caught when he lost his balance trying to pull and South Africa were in trouble on 50 for 4 before Duminy and Miller dug in. Miller was more confident against spin and in his use of the sweep shot than he has been all series, and Duminy, realising the need to bat patiently, was happy to wait.That was just as well, because the wait lasted two hours and 55 minutes as rain interrupted South Africa’s innings after 23 overs with the score on 78 for 4. When play resumed, Miller continued in his role as aggressor and until he hit Mortaza in the air and Sabbir made up for his earlier drop with a diving catch at backward point to give the captain his 200th.Farhaan Behardien showed signs of the fight he displayed in the second match, but holed out off Shakib as South Africa looked to accelerate. Sabbir, stationed on the long-on boundary, caught the ball overhead, but seeing that the momentum would take him over the rope, threw it back in and then re-collected it once he was within the boundary. That left Duminy with the tailenders, who were unable to cope with the cutter from Mustafizur and the yorker from Rubel Hossain.South Africa lost four wickets for 19 runs to leave their bowlers with a tough task, especially as they did not have their premier pace pack to pull it off. They have previously successfully defended just three totals lower than this – 129, 140 and 149 – and not even Morne Morkel’s inclusion could help them add 170 to that list.Morkel bowled first change, behind Kyle Abbott and Kagiso Rabada, but none of them could not find the right length or line to trouble Bangladesh. They were either too short or too full, and almost always too straight.Tamim delighted in riding the bounce to cut or lean into the on-drive, but Soumya held the early controls. He took three successive boundaries off Rabada, all on the leg side, to bring Bangladesh’s fifty in the eighth over, before Amla turned to spin. Neither Imran Tahir nor Duminy caused any problems, instead presenting opportunity for the openers to charge down the track.Soumya’s fifty came off from a leg-side ball from Morkel, eased to short fine leg, which only opened him up for more expansive strokeplay: The cover drive off Tahir, the hoick over mid-wicket for the only six of the innings, the pull, and the steer through the vacant slip cordon. Tamim, while being a spectator to all these, brought up his own fifty, off 70 balls, with a single.As the result became a foregone conclusion, Tamim did his best to get Soumya on strike in search of a century, but Soumya brought about his own downfall, chipping Tahir to short cover. Tamim, though, was on hand, along with Litton Das, to usher Bangladesh home and into the history books to conclude a limited-overs’ season to remember for a cricketing nation on the rise.

Former South Africa opener Jimmy Cook has said that he is optimistic about the team’s long-term future, despite the recent failures of the A team and Under-19 side

Firdose Moonda01-Sep-2015Like still waters, South Africa cricket’s talent pool runs deeper than it may seem according to former international and long-time coach Jimmy Cook. Despite the recent results of the A side – who returned home from a tour of India without a single win – and Under-19 team – who lost home and away series to Bangladesh – Cook is optimistic about the upcoming summer and the long-term future.”We’ve got enough depth; it’s just about blending the youth with the experienced guys and making sure they work well together,” Cook, who has coached at various levels, told ESPNcricinfo. Cook, who played three Tests and four ODIs between 1991 and 1993, is now involved with the King Edward VII School, which Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith attended.”I think what happened with the A side is that the selectors were looking to give guys opportunities and took a lot of guys who they thought they would look at picking in future and because of that, they had a lot of young guys in the group and not a lot of experience and that could have led to the results. But that’s why they went there – to get experience.”The A side was made up mostly of second-tier players who do not hold regular spots in the national team and are challenging the incumbents. The only exceptions were Quinton de Kock, who was sent to India to regain form after being dropped from the South African team during their July series in Bangladesh, and Stiaan van Zyl, who is the new Test opener and was part of the four-day squad to get used to his role at the top of the line-up ahead of the senior side’s four-Test tour of India later this year.The rest of the 50-over and four-day outfits were players who know they are either next in line or back in line and are young enough to wait in line, which results suggest they will have to do.The average age of both the South African four-day squad and one-day squad was 26 with the oldest being 31-year-old Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who has also played the most international cricket. Across all formats, Tsotsobe holds 89 caps and was once the top-ranked ODI bowler in the world. Wayne Parnell is next, having played 85 matches for South Africa and Quinton de Kock, is third with 75 appearances.Dean Elgar (22) Stiaan van Zyl (5), Temba Bavuma (4), Marchant de Lange (10), Beuran Hendricks (5), Reeza Hendricks (5), Dane Piedt (1), Dane Vilas (2) and David Wiese (15) have all played some international cricket and have collectively earned 69 caps across all formats. None of that seemed to count for much as far as their performances went and the numbers do not make for good reading, although it should be remembered that the squad suffered a food poisoning incident midway through the tour, which resulted in 10 players being hospitalised.South Africa A lost all four of their 50-over matches – two to India A and two to Australia A – and lost them badly. They only posted a total over 250 once and managed to bat out their overs only half the time. They also only bowled out their opposition only once and of the possible 40 wickets, they could have taken in the series, only claimed 16.On an individual level, they also had very little to shout about apart from Quinton de Kock. He finished fifth overall on the batting charts with two centuries and went on to score a century in the first unofficial Test to confirm his return to the runs. Cook, who coached de Kock, believed he needed the trip to refocus. “He is a very talented lad and I have no doubt he will do well, especially as he gets older and gets a calmer head on his shoulders,” Cook said.Other than de Kock, Khaya Zondo, Reeza Hendricks and Dean Elgar all scored fifties. In the bowling department, Lonwabo Tsotsobe was the only one to feature among the top ten wicket-takers, with five scalps.With the next 50-over World Cup still four years away, South Africa will be more interested in the performances of the four-day side, who lost their two-match series 1-0.The team began strongly in the first game when they piled on 542, largely thanks to centuries from Omphile Ramela and de Kock, and even bowled India A out cheaply with fit-again Dane Piedt’s claiming a five-for. But they did not enforce the follow-on and did not give themselves enough time to bowl India A out again. Everything fell apart in the second match, when South Africa A were bowled out for 76 in their second innings on a crumbling deck and lost by an innings and 81 runs.Dane Piedt picked up 11 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls, in the two unofficial Tests, in India•AFP

Piedt took five in that match as well to push for a Test return, but South Africa may be more perturbed by the players they lost. Wayne Parnell (hamstring) and Beuran Hendricks (back) will both not be fit for the start of the home summer. Neither of them were likely to feature in Test cricket though, where South Africa now have tough choices to make.Cook advised to keep Stiaan van Zyl at the top of the order for the eight Tests because “he has shown he can do it at that level.” Van Zyl performed well in Bangladesh and scored 96 in the second unofficial Test in India and Cook expects him to be able to handle the conditions without trouble. “It shouldn’t be a problem facing the new ball because it does not move much but obviously batsmen have to be fairly good players of spin, because they will face a lot of that in India.”That is where de Kock’s technique has sometimes come into question, and Cook has suggested taking both de Kock and his replacement, Dane Vilas, who Cook also coached, to India. “Dane is very mature and knows his game well. He’s been given a go so now he must have a proper run – five, six or seven Tests to see what he can do. As things stand, South Africa are very lucky to have those him and de Kock to choose from.”Cook believes that in years to come, South Africa will have more to choose from, despite the disappointing performances of the Under-19s, who are a different group to the one that won last year’s World Cup. “That kind of thing happens – some years you get a really good group and some years you don’t. I see that at school level a lot, it can go in cycles,” Cook said.

A round-up of all the Ranji Trophy Group A matches on October 2, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2015
Scorecard
Vidarbha’s Umesh Yadav hit 128 off 119 from No. 9•PTI

Delhi openers Gautam Gambhir and Unmukt Chand, their captain and vice-captain respectively, struck fifties to salvage their position and take a lead of 74 runs with nine wickets in hand in Jaipur. Delhi’s fightback started when they did not allow the Rajasthan batsmen to convert their starts into big scores – five of them crossed 35 but only one made a fifty – and kept them to 240.Continuing from 74 for 3, Puneet Yadav (46) and Ashok Menaria (38) took Rajasthan towards 150 but Parvinder Awana dismissed both within three balls and Rajesh Bishnoi’s duck left them on 143 for 6, leading by five runs. Dishant Yagnik and Deepak Chahar stalled the fall of wickets with a stand of 87 runs before another mini-collapse ended Rajasthan’s innings. Yagnik struck a 56-ball 40 while No. 8 Chahar scored 50 off 48 with six fours and three sixes to put the pressure back on Delhi.Milind Kumar broke the stand and left-arm spinner Manan Sharma bowled the remaining three batsmen for only five runs to restrict Rajasthan’s lead to 102. Manan and Narwal finished with three wickets each.Chand and Gambhir’s opening stand of 166 made sure Delhi did not slump like their first innings. Both batsmen played patient innings in their alliance of three-and-a-half hours that was broken by 20-year-old debutant Nathu Singh, marked as a promising fast bowler. Once Chand was caught behind for 84, that included 13 fours, Delhi sent out Pradeep Sangwan as nightwatchman, and he stayed unbeaten with Gambhir on 77 with the score on 176 for 1.
Scorecard
A collective effort from Karnataka’s bowlers brought about a collapse from Assam, as the hosts lost nine wickets for 103 runs in Guwahati and were limited to a first-innings lead of only seven runs. Assam had begun the day on 21 for 1 and progressed to 91 before they were jolted by losing their captain Gokul Sharma and PP Das in successive overs. Former Karnataka batsman Amit Verma held one end up with a half-century, but there was a steady stream of wickets at the other with the last six batsmen falling in single digits. Vinay Kumar, Shreyas Gopal and Karun Nair took two wickets each for Karnataka, and Assam were dismissed for 194.Karnataka’s openers Ravikumar Samarth and Mayank Agarwal wiped out the deficit and had added 77 by stumps on the second day, wresting back the advantage for the defending champions.
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Fast bowler Umesh Yadav smashed 128 off 119 balls from No. 9, his maiden first-class hundred lifting Vidarbha to 467 on the second day in Nagpur. He began his onslaught after Vidarbha had lost two early wickets to slip to 293 for 8, adding 102 runs for the ninth wicket with Akshay Wakhare, who made 34. He then added another 72 runs with last man Ravikumar Thakur, whose contribution was 8. Yadav remained unbeaten, having hit seven sixes and seven fours in his innings.Vidarbha consolidated their advantage by striking in successive overs, dismissing both Odisha openers with the score on 45. Wakhare and Thakur were the successful bowlers, and with Odisha 388 runs behind, Vidarbha were well placed to push for a first-innings lead.
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Only 19.1 overs of play were possible on the second day in Pune because of rain. Resuming on 303 for 6, Haryana were dismissed for 335, with Domnic Muthusami and Nikit Dhumal taking the wickets. Himanshu Rana, who celebrated his 17th birthday with a hundred on Thursday, achieved a career best 157 before he became the first wicket to fall on the second day – run out by Muthusami. Haryana then lost their last three wickets for four runs.Maharashtra batted only three overs and got to 7 for 0 before play had to be abandoned.

The quality of pitches in English domestic cricket will have to improve if England are to enjoy more consistent success at international level, and avoid the sorts of spin-influenced defeats that they suffered against Pakistan in Sharjah, according to And

George Dobell05-Nov-2015The quality of pitches in English domestic cricket will have to improve if England are to enjoy more consistent success at international level, and avoid the sorts of spin-influenced defeats that they suffered against Pakistan in Sharjah, according to Andy Flower.Flower, the former England coach who is now technical director of elite coaching at the ECB, feels that too many poor surfaces in county cricket are inhibiting the development of players and creating a greater divide between domestic and international cricket.In particular Flower and the ECB’s head spin bowling coach, Peter Such, fear that the development of young spinners is being impeded by pitches that provide too much assistance to medium-pace bowlers.”The pitches are a real problem,” Flower said. “We have a situation now where dibbly-dobbly bowlers like Jesse Ryder – and no disrespect to him, because he’s a fine cricketer – are match-winners in county cricket.”Spin bowlers don’t develop because the medium-pacers bowl their overs and batsmen are not exposed to quality spin. The necessity for fast bowlers is negated because the medium-pacers do the work but, when you get to international cricket, the pitches are completely different and the qualities that proved successful in county cricket will be of little use. Dibbly-dobbly bowlers are not going to win you Test matches. Their abilities are exaggerated by green county pitches.”You can watch a game in Division Two of the County Championship and not see a bouncer bowler. That’s a problem, because the first thing that a batsman will be tested by in international cricket is the short ball.”The pitches are contributing to the divide between county and international cricket and leaving us – the coaches at Loughborough – needing to bridge a significant gap in standard.”Flower’s comments are timely. It is not just that they were made as England subsided to a 2-0 defeat against Pakistan in the UAE with the level of spin bowling proving the key difference between the sides, but that the ECB are currently conducting a review into domestic cricket that seems certain to bring significant changes.Adil Rashid had a taxing Test debut in Abu Dhabi•Getty Images

The statistics of the series in the UAE underline the current gulf between English spinners and the rest. All told, England’s trio of Moeen Ali, Ali Rashid and Samit Patel, with fill-in overs from Joe Root and even Ben Stokes, claimed 20 wickets at 60.1 in 295.1 overs, only 23 of which were maidens. Pakistan’s trio of Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar and Shoaib Malik bowled exactly that number of maidens in the third Test alone, while also claiming 17 wickets at 18.41.”In overseas Test cricket somewhere between 46-48% of overs are bowled by spinners, but in county cricket that figure is around 20%,” Such told ESPNcricinfo. “The pitches tend to start damp, which makes them seam-bowler dominated and makes it very hard for spin bowlers to break through. We need to do more to encourage spin bowling. It’s a tough gig at present.”The most important thing in the development of spin bowlers is that they get match-play overs, so they can use their skills in match situations. There is some talent out there, but at the moment young spinners are hitting a glass ceiling and it has become very hard for them to progress.”At present, the ECB are sending up to 16 young spinners abroad this winter – some just as net bowlers (Simon Kerrigan is unavailable with a stress fracture) – in order that they can gain experience in different conditions and benefit from the volume of overs denied them in county cricket. It is not a scenario that reflects well on the contribution of the domestic game.To that end, a scenario where the County Championship season starts abroad – probably in the UAE or Caribbean – remains possible. While it would not be a popular solution with county members, it currently seems inevitable that the county schedule will be cut to 14 games per side with two windows for white-ball cricket.Scheduling two games overseas would at least enable the competition to remain at 16 games per side and provide conditions in which spin bowlers might feature more prominently. The defeat to Pakistan may concentrate minds on the need to improve the development of spin bowlers.”County cricket is very much part of the solution,” Such said. “It is the biggest part of the solution. But we need to see young spinners bowling overs in county cricket.”

Zimbabwe batsman Mark Vermeulen has been banned from all cricket by Zimbabwe Cricket after it emerged that he had engaged in a racist tirade on social media

Liam Brickhill16-Oct-2015Zimbabwe batsman Mark Vermeulen has been banned from all cricket by Zimbabwe Cricket after it emerged that he had engaged in a racist tirade on social media during which he referred to black Zimbabweans as “apes”.”Racism is abominable and there can be no defence for it,” said a statement released by Zimbabwe Cricket. “Mark Vermeulen has been banned from participating in all cricket activities, after he owned up to repulsive remarks that reflect racism, prejudice and plain ignorance. We find Vermeulen’s Facebook comment distasteful and unacceptable, particularly for a senior sportsman who should have learned from playing in Zimbabwe and abroad that there is no place for racism in sport.”Vermeulen had posted his comment in July, on a thread underneath an article posted on Facebook about Prosper Utseya’s letter to the ZC Board, which alleged that racism persisted in Zimbabwean cricket. Though Vermeulen subsequently deleted the comment, a screenshot eventually made its way into the public sphere, again on social media.ESPNcricinfo has seen the screenshot of the comment, which talked of “white people” having “fxxxd up the apes’ lives”. “If we… had never educated them, Prosper wouldn’t be having these problems,” it said.As the reaction to his comment gathered steam online, it is believed that some members of Vermeulen’s domestic franchise, Mashonaland Eagles, insisted they would boycott any team with Vermeulen in it. The administration of the franchise met today to decide how to respond, and this evening it was confirmed that Vermeulen has been banned from all cricket activities by Zimbabwe Cricket.Vermeulen had issued a public statement, which was reproduced in local newspapers today, and which he called an apology. In it, Vermeulen said that he had apologised personally to Utseya and that “he accepted my apology”.”I know my comments were over the top and I apologise to all that I have offended,” continued Vermeulen’s statement. “But as a cricketer, it’s how our minds work… It was not meant in a menacing way. It was just a chirp that often happens out on the field of play and as men, you take the blow on the chin and get on with the game.”Behavioural and disciplinary issues have long been a problem for Vermeulen, with trouble surfacing as early as his high school days in Harare in the mid-1990s. He was banned from representing his school, Prince Edward High in Harare, for walking off with the stumps after receiving a poor lbw decision and locking himself in the changing room.His fierce desire to succeed as a cricketer led to a Test debut in 2002, but two years later he was struck on the head by a bouncer from Irfan Pathan at the Gabba, during a tri-series in Australia. The injury, which replicated one he had suffered in 2003, when he was struck on the head by fast bowler Travis Friend while batting in the nets, required urgent surgery, and Vermeulen’s behaviour became increasingly erratic. He was banned from playing cricket in England for ten years after an altercation with some spectators during a club game and, most infamously, he burned down Zimbabwe’s cricket academy in 2006 in retaliation for being overlooked by the national side.Vermeulen was acquitted of charges of arson in 2008, on the grounds that he had been suffering psychiatric problems, including partial complex epilepsy and impulsive behaviour disorder, ever since his injury in Australia. Remarkably, Vermeulen returned to international cricket with a one-day half-century against Bangladesh the following year, but his form tailed off and, though he played for every domestic franchise in the country in his efforts to win a national contract, it seemed his days as an international cricketer were over. Yet Vermeulen was called upon once more in 2014, re-selected by coach Steve Mangongo and convener of selectors Givemore Makoni, for a one-off Test against South Africa. There had also been talk that Vermeulen was hoping to win yet another recall for the upcoming series against Bangladesh.