Somerset out-fielded and out-bowled Kolkata Knight Riders to push them to the brink of elimination, but an ice-cool Ryan ten Doeschate hauled them alongside their opponents into the main draw of the Champions League

The Report by Nitin Sundar21-Sep-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRyan ten Doeschate could not carry Kolkata to a win, but he did enough to steer them into the CLT20’s main draw•AFP

Somerset out-fielded and out-bowled Kolkata Knight Riders to push them to the brink of elimination, but an ice-cool Ryan ten Doeschate hauled them alongside their opponents into the main draw of the Champions League. Kolkata needed 153 to qualify after Somerset had waltzed to an imposing 166 for 6 and, at 57 for 4 in the 10th over, seemed to have lost the final spot to Ruhuna. ten Doeschate however pulled off a special heist to ensure there will be four IPL teams in the main draw.Ruhuna ended up the biggest losers of the day, and Kolkata celebrated jubilantly despite falling short 12 of victory, but Somerset deserved the most praise. They arrived for the tournament bleary-eyed and dispirited, two days after losing their fifth domestic final in two years, and without many of their first-choice players. If they were knackered, they didn’t show it: Peter Trego batted with freedom, Roelof van der Merwe was typically tigerish with bat and on the field, and the three-pronged spin attack was ruthless to the end.Kolkata were at the other end of the spectrum, and their struggles were epitomised by the inability of Manoj Tiwary and Shreevats Goswami – batsmen bred on slow tracks – to force the pace against spin. That Kolkata had lost the in-form Manvinder Bisla and captain Jacques Kallis early did not help matters, and things became worse when the legspinner Max Waller disloged both Tiwary and Goswami. Thereafter, ten Doeschate owned the night.He announced himself with a lofted drive that Nick Compton palmed over the ropes at long-off, but that was the closest he came to being dismissed. With the asking-rate hovering out of reach, he dabbed Trego through point before whipping Arul Suppiah over midwicket for six. Yusuf Pathan was surprisingly subdued in his brief stay, but by the time he exited it was clear that the wicket that mattered was at the other end.Shakib Al Hasan’s stay was ended by a blinder in the outfield from van der Merwe, who single-handedly underlined the difference in fielding standards between the sides. Rajat Bhatia then held his nerve in a 30-run stand that took Kolkata close, while ten Doeschate continued to produce the fireworks with an audacious whip over midwicket for his third six. van der Merwe dismissed both batsmen in the final over, but it wasn’t enough to stop Kolkata.Earlier, Somerset showed they had better methods against spin than their county rivals Leicestershire had displayed earlier in the day. Trego went after Iqbal Abdulla despite not always managing to reach the flight, and his enterprise forced Jacques Kallis to rely on seamers more than he would have liked, a move that played into Somerset’s hands.They moved to 56 for 1 after eight overs, at which point Trego shifted gears against Bhatia’s mind-numbingly predictable lack of pace. Trego lost his balance while pulling him for four before cutting late for another boundary. The next over went for 17 as van der Merwe exploded against a raft of long-hops from Yusuf. Jaidev Unadkat gave Kolkata some respite when he got van der Merwe pulling to midwicket, and James Hildreth with a slower ball, but Trego bustled along unfettered, scoring his boundaries with a series of correct strokes. Unadkat was drilled through the covers, Jacques Kallis pulled through midwicket, and the Kolkata shoulders began to droop in a hurry.Trego was starved of strike a touch in the end overs, but it did not seem to matter as Compton ramped Lee for six and stole a couple of inventive boundaries. More importantly for Somerset, Kolkata stayed generous right to the last over, with Unadkat making a hash of a regulation save at midwicket, and Lee getting a wicket of a no-ball. Kolkata’s fielders had done themselves no favours, but the itinerary that gave them the chance to play the last innings of the qualifier stage was about to.

A round up of the action from the first day of the fourth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division Two matches

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2011Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) knocked over Hyderabad for 97, at the Niaz Stadium in Sind, courtesy a six-wicket haul from their new-ball bowler Bilawal Bhatti. Bhatti ripped through Hyderabad’s top order; at one stage, they were tottering at 29 for 8, before a 68-run stand between Ghulam Yasin and Nasir Awais took them to 97. While none of the SNGPL batsmen could build on their starts in the reply, cameos from most of the top order helped them to a 77-run lead, with six wickets in hand at stumps.Saeed Bin Nasir struck a century to take Karachi Whites to 242 for 8 against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex in Karachi. KRL inserted Karachi Whites and made early inroads as none of the batsmen, barring Nasir, could get going. They reduced Karachi Whites to 136 for 6, before Nasir found an able partner in Faraz Ahmed. The pair added a hundred runs, but were dismissed before stumps as KRL fought back, removing both batsmen in quick succession. Rahat Ali, a left-arm quick, was the wrecker-in-chief – he took 5 for 59 in his 19 overs.Lahore Ravi put on a steady batting performance against Multan at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, scoring 280 for 5 on the first day of the fourth round. Their innings was built around captain Usman Salahuddin, who remained unbeaten on 125 at stumps. While most of the other batsmen wasted starts, wicketkeeper Mohammad Zohaib lent him fine support, with an unbeaten half-century. The pair will look to pile on the runs on day two.Badar Ali made a patient, unbeaten 98 to carry Quetta to 212 for 6 against Lahore Shalimar at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Apart from the opener, Ali, Lahore Shalimar made short work of Quetta’s top order. New-ball bowler Asif Raza, the pick of the Lahore Ravi bowlers on the day, made early inroads as Quetta was reduced to 85 for 5. But Taimur Khan, batting at No. 7, hit a half-century to bolster the score. He was out just prior to stumps, but Ali stayed firm and will look to push on, on Wednesday.United Bank Limited (UBL) had the better of the first day against hosts Peshawar at the Arbab Niaz Stadium. United Bank asked Peshawar to bat and then bowled them out for 260, before their openers, Ali Asad and Saeed Mutabbir, took them to 63 for 0 at stumps. That Peshawar managed to get past 250 was in main due to an unbeaten century from their captain Akbar Badshah. Badshah hit 103, a knock studded with 18 fours and a six. Most of the damage with the ball was done by fast bowlers Shabbir Ahmed and Tahir Mughal, who picked up eight wickets between them.

Kyle Mills will miss the lone Test against Zimbabwe due to a torn abductor muscle, New Zealand Cricket has announced

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2011Kyle Mills, the New Zealand seamer, will miss the one-off Test against Zimbabwe due to a torn abductor muscle. A replacement has not been named as the Test squad has enough cover in the fast-bowling department, team manager Mike Sandle said.Mills had initially developed discomfort in the muscle during the first ODI on October 20, and was rested for the next two games, before scans revealed the extent of his injury. “Kyle developed some discomfort during the first one-dayer in Harare,” Sandle said. “Initially it was thought to be a strain but a scan has shown a slight tear to his abductor muscle. Kyle will undergo further assessment by the New Zealand Cricket medical team once he returns home.”The decision has been made not to bring over a replacement player as there is sufficient cover in the current squad.”New Zealand are also without fast bowler Tim Southee, who is recovering from cartilage damage in his left knee, which he suffered while preparing for the Champions League T20. New Zealand’s national selection manager Kim Littlejohn had been hopeful that Southee would recover in time for the one-off Test that begins on November 1, but as he had not shown enough improvement, Graeme Aldridge was included in the Test squad. Apart from Aldridge, Chris Martin, Andy McKay and Doug Bracewell make up New Zealand’s pace department.Mills’ career had been dogged by injury. He had been out of international cricket prior to the Zimbabwe tour after picking up a quadricep strain half-way through the 2011 World Cup, which ruled him out of the knockout stages of the tournament. During the 2009-10 season, he underwent shoulder and knee surgery, and has not played a Test since March 2009.”Clearly it is disappointing for Kyle who was looking forward to making a return to the Test team,” Sandle said. “We are hopeful he will be available for selection for the upcoming Test series against Australia.” New Zealand play two Tests in Australia from December 1.

A round-up of the action from the fourth day of the sixth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2011Water and Power Development Authority needed just 30 overs on the fourth day to complete a nine-wicket victory over Islamabad at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad. The hosts started the day still 24 runs behind with five wickets in hand. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan made sure the lower order did not get too many runs, completing a six-wicket haul that helped WAPDA bowl Islamabad out for 210 in their second innings. WAPDA were left with 55 to chase and, though they lost an early wicket, got there in 8.5 overs. The win keeps WAPDA at the top of the table with five wins from six games.

State Bank of Pakistan made it four wins from six games by beating Rawalpindi by 93 runs at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Rawalpindi had started the day in trouble, on 37 for 2 chasing 333. That soon became 75 for 4, but the middle order offered some resistance. Usman Saeed scored 48 and Adnan Mufti got 65 but State Bank were always favourites. Seamer Rizwan Haider took 3 for 58 and all the other bowlers chipped in as State Bank bowled Rawalpindi out for 239.

National Bank of Pakistan beat Karachi Blues by nine wickets at the National Stadium in Karachi, with Nasir Jamshed smashing 50 off 32 balls to help them chase 97 in just 9.4 overs. Karachi needed to bat out the day to salvage a draw from the game but despite a century from Khalid Latif they could only bat out 67.1 overs and reach 318, leaving National Bank 97 to win. National Bank went for the runs and Jamshed got them off to a flier in the company of Khurram Manzoor. Once Manzoor fell, with the score 41, Kamran Akmal came in and smashed three fours and a six in his 29 off 18 balls, and took National Bank home along with Jamshed.Karachi had set a solid base for a big second-innings score, reaching 90 for 1 by stumps on the third day. They continued to look solid on the fourth day, with Shahzaib Hasan going from 52 not out to 83 and Latif settling down for a big knock. The middle order did not contribute much though, leaving Latif to bat with the tail. He managed to get 114 off 127 balls but it was not enough to take Karachi to safety. National Bank’s bowlers shared the wickets around with left-arm spinner Qaiser Abbas taking 3 for 39.

A late collapse meant Sialkot conceded a 98-run first-innings lead and Pakistan International Airlines took three points out of the match at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. Sialkot started the day on 299 for 4, trying to overhaul PIA’s 505. Naved Sarwar and Mansoor Amjad added another 97 to take Sialkot to 396 for 4. Sarwar scored slowly, taking a total of 358 balls for his 82 while Amjad got 72 off 129. Once their stand was broken, though, a collapse began. Sialkot lost six wickets for 11 runs and were bowled out for 407. Seamer Anwar Ali ran through the tail and finished with 7 for 109. PIA then had a bit of batting practice and reached 153 for 3 with Agha Sabir and Fahad Iqbal scoring half-centuries.

Naseer Akram’s second five-wicket haul in as many games helped Faisalabad register their first win of the season as they beat Habib Bank Limited by 139 runs at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. HBL started the fourth day on 33 for 0 chasing 326, and suffered a middle-order collapse that saw six wickets fall for 62 runs. Nos. 3 to 7 could only manage single digit scores to leave them 128 for 7, Naseer having done most of the damage. Danish Kaneria offered some lower-order resistance with his 30 but HBL were bowled out for 186.

Simon Katich is looking forward to putting his disciplinary hearing behind him after he escaped suspension from Cricket Australia for cutting comments he made about Michael Clarke in October

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2011Simon Katich is looking forward to putting his disciplinary hearing behind him after he escaped suspension from Cricket Australia for cutting comments he made about Michael Clarke in October. Katich pleaded guilty at a CA Code of Behaviour hearing, chaired by retired county court judge Gordon Lewis in Melbourne on Monday, and was handed an official reprimand.”It’s not something you want to go through but I’m glad it’s out of the way now and very grateful for Commissioner Lewis’ findings,” Katich said on SEN radio after the hearing.”Obviously I said things for a reason. At the time I was still coming to terms with the mixed messages I’d been receiving over the previous few months from the chairman of selectors and from other people involved in the team. From that point of view I said what I said, but at the end of the day now I just want to move forward and play some good cricket for New South Wales and put this behind me.”The hearing was delayed from its original date of November 21 due to scheduling conflicts, after Katich was charged by Cricket Australia for his comments on October 28, when he suggested that his dressing-room stoush with Clarke in 2009 had contributed to his axing from Australia’s side. After scoring a Sheffield Shield hundred, Katich was asked whether the appointment of a new chairman of selectors, John Inverarity, would help his cause in winning a recall.”It’s pleasing to hear but I think you don’t have to be Einstein to figure out that it’s not just the selectors that had a part in sending me on my way,” Katich said at the time. “I mean to be brutally honest obviously what happened in the dressing room here a few years ago didn’t help my cause. And obviously the captain and coach are selectors.”Just because he [Inverarity] is going to be chairman of selectors or whatever role it is I wouldn’t have thought that’d make too much difference.”When asked if he could expect to play for Australia again while Clarke remained captain, Katich said: “I wouldn’t have thought so. That’s probably why I’m in this position in the first place.”In the dressing rooms after the 2009 Sydney Test, Katich grabbed the then vice-captain Clarke by the throat after an argument over when the team song would be sung. After Monday’s hearing, Katich softened his tone when asked about his relationship with Clarke.”We were able to play cricket for a good couple of years there in the same team without it causing any problems, so from my point of view I didn’t see any dramas in that respect,” Katich said. “I guess I have just been searching for answers as to why I wasn’t in the team, given that I felt I’d been performing to a reasonable standard over the last three years.”Katich was set to fly back to Canberra on Monday evening to play in the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Tasmania at Manuka Oval, starting on Tuesday.

Cricket Canada have named an 18-man preliminary squad for the 2012 World Twenty20 qualifier, which begins in Dubai from March 13

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2012Jimmy Hansra has been named the captain in Canada’s 18-man preliminary squad for the 2012 World Twenty20 qualifier, which begins in Dubai from March 13. The final 14-man squad will be named on February 13.Top-order batsman Zubin Surkari, who scored 5, 19 and 2 in the Carribean T20 in mid-January, was left out of the squad. The only other player to miss out from the squad that played in the Carribean T20 is left-arm spinner Salman Nazar. Canada had lost all their four matches in that tournament.Sixteen Associate and Affiliate teams will compete in the 72-match qualifying tournament in the UAE, for two available spots in the World Twenty20. Canada are placed in Group A, alongside Afghanistan, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, Bermuda, Denmark and Nepal.Squad: Jimmy Hansra (capt), Rizwan Cheema (vice-capt), Manny Aulakh, Harvir Baidwan, Rustam Bhatti, Khurram Chohan, Parth Desai, Jeremy Gordon, Tyson Gordon, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Zahid Hussain, Nitish Kumar, Usman Limbada, Henry Osinde, Hiral Patel, Raza-ur-Rehman, Junaid Siddiqui, Hamza Tariq

Even as there has been speculation regarding VVS Laxman’s retirement, mostly emanating from BCCI sources in India, indications in Australia keep getting stronger that he will play the Adelaide Test

Sidharth Monga in Adelaide19-Jan-2012Even as there has been speculation regarding VVS Laxman’s retirement, mostly emanating from BCCI sources in India, indications in Australia keep getting stronger that he will play the Adelaide Test. Thursday was the day off for both teams, but Laxman practised in the indoor nets of the Adelaide Oval for close to three hours. The indoor nets are off limits for the press, but Laxman was seen going in with Raghavendra DVGI, the team’s throwdown and bowling machine specialist, who has worked with him and other batsmen in the NCA in Bangalore too.Laxman has been under severe pressure after seven ordinary Tests away from home, which have produced just three fifties. All through his career Laxman has liked playing both against and in Australia, but this trip has got him just 102 runs at an average of 17. Calls for dropping him grew loud after India lost by an innings in Sydney, with former players and experts suggesting that if India had to keep losing, they were better off doing it with youngsters.India went into Perth with an unchanged batting line-up again, and lost by an innings again. Laxman scored 31 and a duck. The day after Laxman was dismissed for zero, two national dailies in India quoted BCCI officials as suggesting Laxman had been asked to retire or face the axe. After Perth, Laxman has worked hard in the nets, spending a lot of time with coach Duncan Fletcher at the WACA before the team flew to Adelaide on Wednesday.On Thursday, the day after India reached Adelaide, the players were given time off training. Australia will gather in Adelaide only on Friday. Laxman, though, was back in the nets at around 4pm. If Laxman retains his place, Rohit Sharma will have to wait for his Test debut: Virat Kohli top-scored in both of India’s innings in Perth. The only way for both Laxman and Rohit to play is for Rahul Dravid to keep wicket, but to do so in a Test sounds outlandish even for a man of Dravid’s commitment.

Ricky Ponting is not afraid of failing in his attempt to go to England for a final tilt at the Ashes in 2013, and has made it clear that he will go on playing Test cricket for Australia for as long as he possibly can

Daniel Brettig21-Feb-2012Ricky Ponting is not afraid of failing in his attempt to go to England for a final tilt at the Ashes in 2013, and has made it clear that he will go on playing Test cricket for Australia for as long as he possibly can.A summary dismissal from the ODI team has provided Ponting, 37, with the sharp reminder that he will have to perform or perish. But he gave every indication he would go on in Test cricket for as long as possible, even if it meant the end may come in similar circumstances to those Ponting found himself in at the SCG, answering questions the day after the national selector John Inverarity’s phone call.”I’ve always been of the belief that I don’t mind people trying things and failing. That’s the way I’m looking at it as well,” Ponting said. “I tried my best over the last five games to be the best player I could be and to win games of cricket for Australia, unfortunately I couldn’t do that and I failed, and I’ve been dropped from the one-day side.”To tell the honest truth I didn’t really see this coming either, I had no communication from the selectors that it might’ve happened through this series, but it’s my job as an international batsman to score runs and I haven’t done that in the last few games.”Only if it ends badly [can I be too proud], but I’m backing myself to finish the game and finish my career on a high, I don’t want to finish on a low, and I’ll make the right decision at the right time, there’s no doubt about that.”It’d be great to get back to the Ashes. If I’m a good enough player to do that then it’d be great to go back there one more time and hopefully have a few better memories of England than what I’ve had the last couple of tours. Everybody is [after redemption], as far as Ashes cricket is concerned.”Ponting faced his first day as a Test-match-only concern with typical frankness and a level outlook. He said he had not considered retirement from the game upon losing his ODI place, but had pondered how he might manage his time now that he will not have the benefit of limited-overs series to keep him sharp between Test assignments.There is the chance that fewer international matches will keep Ponting fresher and more focused for those he does play, leaving him more time to spend with a young family, while also helping to mentor the next generation in the Sheffield Shield.”It could do that [prolong my Test career], there’s two ways you can look at that,” Ponting said. “Am I better off having momentum behind me with playing more cricket, and scoring runs on a consistent basis, or am I better off getting away for a long period of time, freshening up, training hard, getting my game in good shape and playing.”I won’t know that until the start of next summer if I make it that far. I won’t have a long break now as I have a couple of Shield games to play, there’ll be a week after the Shield final, hopefully Tasmania can make the Shield final then I’ll have a week at home, then the West Indies and we’re straight into a tour game and Test matches there. Post-West Indies when there’s a big break between then and November, that’ll be a test of how I manage my time.”The thing I thought about most yesterday was how I was going to manage my time and to be well prepared to play every Test match that I play for the remainder of my career. Obviously now with no more one day international cricket that becomes a little bit more difficult for me, but there are other players around Australia at the moment that play Test match cricket only. I’ve seen it in the past with Steve Waugh, Mark Taylor, David Boon and those guys when they retired from one day cricket, they managed to play Test match cricket only and play it well.”Though he had not been told explicitly by Inverarity that he was close to being dropped ahead of the event, Ponting said he bore no ill will towards the selectors for how they had handled his ODI exit, and praised the panel for its approach this summer.”I think the selectors are doing a great job around the team at the moment,” Ponting said. “They’ve brought in some younger, fresher faces which I think was needed. They’ve had the courage I guess to try some of those guys who might not necessarily have been the best performed players around state cricket as well. As far as selection is concerned, the players are always their only selector. If you’re a batsman and you’re scoring runs you’re going to be in the side, if you’re not scoring runs then you’re a chance to be left out.”As the only man to have played in more than 100 Test match victories, Ponting’s thirst for such moments is unrivalled. He will now spend time in Shield cricket before the West Indies tour, adding to the Tasmanian dressing room what has just been lost to Australia’s.”I’ve done my best to make sure that every young player that comes into the team has a great understanding of what it means to play cricket for Australia and what levels they have to get to physically and mentally to be good international players,” Ponting said. “I think a few of the guys we had come into the set-up in the one day series this year were quite shocked and surprised about how hard we work around the team and how fit you need to be to be a part of the Australian side. Now I’m not there, some of the more experienced guys have got to start passing those traditions down to the younger blokes.”I’ve always been a traditionalist, I’ve loved every opportunity I’ve had to play cricket for Australia, whether it be one day cricket, Twenty20 or Test cricket. All I’ve got left is Test cricket and I want to make every post a winner with that, and make sure that every time I have a chance to play for Australia I’m the best prepared I can be and I enjoy every moment.”

Hemant Desai, a Kenyan umpire, has been suspended after being reported for assaulting a groundstaff member in Mombasa

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2012Hemant Desai, a Kenyan umpire, has been suspended after being reported for assaulting a groundstaff member in Mombasa when he was the reserve official for a one-day international between Kenya and Ireland in February.Cricket Kenya has suspended Desai from any umpiring duties until November 1 following a disciplinary panel hearing on March 9 chaired by the Cricket Kenya Chairman, Samir Inamdar, and consisting of CEO Tom Sears, ICC code of conduct commissioner Sharad Rao and Kenya cricket umpires and scorers’ association representative Subhash Modi.It was alleged Desai assaulted a member of the groundstaff shortly before the match between Kenya and Ireland at Mombasa Sports Club started. The matter had been formally reported by the ICC match referee, Dev Govindjee, to the ICC chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, who authorised Cricket Kenya to investigate a potential breach the ICC umpires code of conduct.Desai had denied the allegation that while engaged as an ICC reserve umpire for the fixture he slapped a member of the groundstaff. After taking into account eye witness statements and interviewing witnesses during the hearing the panel unanimously decided that he was in breach of clause 1.6 which states “Umpires shall not engage in any conduct which is prejudicial to the game of cricket”.

Michael Dighton has resigned as Canada’s coach after being in charge of the side for eight months

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Apr-2012Michael Dighton has resigned as Canada’s coach after being in charge of the side for eight months. Dighton accompanied the team on a preparation camp for the World Twenty20 Qualifier in Sri Lanka, the World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE and Canada’s tour of Namibia during his tenure.Cricket Canada vice president Vimal Hardat said he was disappointed to lose a coach with the calibre of Dighton. “[We] understand his reasons [for resigning] and thank him for his contribution to Cricket Canada. We wish him all the best in the future,” Hardat said.Cricket Canada’s CEO Doug Hannum said that the board will need to find a replacement quickly as Canada look to qualify for the 2014 T20 Cricket World Cup and the 2015 Cricket World Cup. “[A replacement will be found] well in time for the national team’s trip to Scotland in July. We are certainly focussed on putting our best foot forward to get ourselves into the next World Cup cycle and a new coach will be an integral part of that.”Dighton who hails from Queensland has represented Netherlands, Derbyshire, Hampshire, Tasmania and Western Australia. He took charge of Canada’s team in October 2011 but they failed to qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 being played in Sri Lanka in September this year.