All posts by csb10.top

In the last few games, Sunrisers Hyderabad have not scored at the rate they have wanted to at the start of the innings. Consequently, the team’s strategy was tweaked slightly ahead of the match against Kings XI Punjab to ensure that the openers – David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan – went after the bowling in a combined assault.The ploy paid off handsomely after Sunrisers were asked to bat on a good batting surface in Mohali. Dhawan smashed a 48-ball 77, his second fifty in three games, and Warner cracked 51 runs off 27 balls. Dhawan described the approach to his partnership as “smart (and) aggressive”.”Usually when David attacks, I back off. In the last two games, David took his time so I attacked,” Dhawan told . “Today, we attacked from both sides. This was a good thing and it was a very good wicket. We both wanted to make it big and that’s what happened. I was feeling good about myself today and knew what plan I am going to go with.”We both were playing smart [yet] aggressive cricket, I would say. And, that was our plan because [in the] last few games we were playing well but our run rate was [a] bit low. So, we decided today that we were going to go out there and express ourselves more. I am used to playing with David Warner for two-three seasons now, so we know each other’s game and our running between the wickets is also very good.”On the relative merits and demerits of opening with two left-hand batsmen, Dhawan said it was not a factor so long as both the batsmen were good. “If they play well, they play well and it becomes hard for the bowlers,” Dhawan said. “For instance, they brought an offspinner (KC Cariappa) into the attack, but we were in such good nick that we were hitting the offspinner too. Of course, if it is a left-right combination, the bowler has to contend with altering his line and length. But, if batsmen are attacking from both ends, then there is no trouble.”Sunrisers also benefited from how Kane Williamson, at No. 3, furthered the momentum created by the openers. With an unbeaten of 54 at a strike rate of 200, Williamson was the key to Sunrisers smashing 52 runs in the last five overs. Williamson reflected on how they had to briefly play the waiting game before launching into another round of attack. Once Warner was dismissed in the 10th over, Dhawan and Williamson went 17 legal deliveries without a boundary.”There are times when you need to soak it up a little bit, but with the openers batting for about 10 overs with a run rate of over ten runs per over meant that we needed to see how many we could get and play the situation the best we could,” Williamson said. “After such a good start from the openers, it was important that we do that.”He (Dhawan) came out really aggressively as you need to do in this format; he was very dominant today and was batting so beautifully, which I suppose made my job easier when I was to come out and get myself in.”Dhawan revealed that Sunrisers had a 200-plus total in sights once they continued to score at a good clip going into the second half of the innings. “As a team goal, we always say that one of the top-four batsmen has to stay till the end. If one set batsman is playing at the end, it gives a huge advantage to the batting side, so that’s what we planned and we try to implement in each game,” Dhawan said.”Once we crossed 13 or 14 overs, we knew we had to reach 200 because we had a great start and continued to be in a good position. It paid off well because in the second innings there was a bit of dew on this ground, and their batsmen were playing good cricket, especially Shaun Marsh and [Martin] Guptill, at the start. Two hundred was a good score, that’s why we got the game.”

Shashank Manohar has resigned from his post as ICC chairman after eight months in office, citing personal reasons.In a letter addressed to ICC chief executive David Richardson, Manohar said: “I have tried to do my best and have tried to be fair and impartial in deciding matters in the functioning of the Board and in matters related to Member Boards along with the able support of all Directors.”However, for personal reasons it is not possible for me to hold the august office of ICC Chairman and hence I am tendering my resignation as Chairman with immediate effect. I take this opportunity to thank all the Directors, the Management and staff of ICC for supporting me wholeheartedly. I wish ICC all the very best and hope it achieves greater heights in future.”Manohar was elected unopposed as the ICC’s first independent chairman – one not affiliated to any of its member boards – in May 2016 for a two-year term, and since then had become the driving force behind the ICC’s retreat from the governance structures created by the Big Three boards of BCCI, CA and ECB in 2014.In February this year, the ICC had passed in principle a new constitution that undid much of the imbalance in power and finances the BCCI, CA and ECB had sought to create in 2014, but a final decision was to be taken at the ICC Board’s next round of meetings in April. Manohar, however, will now not be the head of the ICC at those meetings and what impact – if any – his absence has on those proposals remains to be seen.The ICC confirmed receipt of Manohar’s resignation and said: “The ICC Board will assess the situation and next steps before making a further announcement.”When Manohar replaced N Srinivasan as BCCI president in November 2015, he also became the ICC chairman by virtue of being the head of the Indian board. Later that month, Manohar spoke out against the Big Three revamp of the ICC: “I don’t agree with the three major countries bullying the ICC,” Manohar has said. “That’s my personal view, because as I have always said, an institution is bigger than individuals.”In his dual role as BCCI president and ICC chairman, Manohar was the person behind the move to have an independent chairman head the ICC, the first step of the rollback that he would try to push through. On May 10, 2016, in the wake of the Lodha Committee’s report that recommended a severe shake up of the administrative structures of the BCCI, Mahohar quit as board president. Two days later, he was elected unopposed as the first independent chairman of the ICC.The next step for the ICC executive board will be to appoint an interim chairman, before holding elections to find a permanent candidate. They can decide to hold elections by the next round of board meetings in April, or even before that.According to the ICC constitution: “In the event that the Chairman shall, for any reason, be unable to fulfil or continue to fulfil his duties, then the Executive Board shall appoint an acting Chairman from within the Executive Board to assume such duties until the conclusion of the next Conference at which a new Chairman is elected or, if sooner, upon the existing Chairman being able to fulfil or continue to fulfil his duties.”All present and past ICC directors were eligible to contest the election at the time of Manohar’s election. Candidates could be nominated by fellow ICC directors, and only one nominee is allowed per director. Any nominee with the support of at least two Full Member directors is eligible to stand for election.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:20

Watch – Rossouw, Sarfraz fifties flatten Karachi

In a nutshellA 130-run partnership between Rilee Rossouw and Sarfraz Ahmed – the second highest in PSL history – saw Quetta Gladiators beat the Karachi Kings by seven wickets. The pair came together with the Gladiators tottering at 30 for 3 in the fifth over but they combined power hitting with composure, not to mention superb running between the wickets. It was a chanceless stand, a masterclass in how to deal with pressure and gradually take control of a game.On Friday, Mohammad Amir was the Kings’ most impressive opening bowler. This time his opening partner Sohail Khan took up the mantle, bowling a consistently good length on the off stump line, seaming the ball away from the right-hander. It wouldn’t have been out of place on the first morning of a Test match. He got his rewards, dismissing Ahmed Shehzad, Kevin Pietersen and Asad Shafiq in the space of four balls only for momentum to be stolen back by Rossouw and Sarfraz.Karachi had earlier started off quite cautiously. Chris Gayle scratched out an unconvincing 11 and Kumar Sangakkara searching for form holed out to extra cover for 25. By the end of the fourteenth over, they were 87 for 3. From there, they were never going to get a par score, and only poor death bowling by last year’s finalists – Tymal Mills excepted – took Karachi to their final total of 159. But Rossouw and Sarfraz saw to it that it wouldn’t be enough.Where the match was wonWhile the Gladiators fourth wicket partnership was impressive enough, it only really began to pose a threat after a moment Karachi only had themselves to blame. Five balls into the ninth over of the Quetta innings, a no-ball was called because the Kings’ didn’t have enough fielders inside the circle. That bit of self-inflicted harm was punished severely, Rossouw launching the free hit for six over midwicket. The final ball met the same fate as a good over suddenly went for 19. The asking rate came under eight and the batsmen had all the answers.The men that won itRossouw, who was so impressive against Lahore on Friday in holding Quetta’s innings together, was the main architect again, albeit in a more destructive manner. Forty runs came off his first 21 balls before the former South African international slowed down as Quetta’s captain Sarfraz began to find his timing.The pair’s running between the wickets is especially worth pointing out. Pressure was regularly placed on Karachi’s fielders and several ones were converted into twos. At no stage did it look like a wicket was about to fall, from the moment the pair got together right to the last delivery, a full toss which Rossouw dispatched to the extra cover boundary.1:23

WATCH – Rossouw’s match-winning 76*

Tidy Tymal MillsThe only phase where Quetta looked like being outplayed was between overs 14 and 19 of the Karachi innings. From 87 in 14, Sangakkara’s men plundered 64 runs off the next five overs, taking advantage of wayward – and frankly bizarre – lines and lengths from Quetta’s bowlers.At one point, it looked like they might even get to 170. They might have done were it not for Mills, who more than justified his T20 reputation with a superb spell by varying his pace and line regularly to finish with 2 for 21 in four overs. That included a disciplined final over which yielded just eight runs and ensured Karachi’s total didn’t get out of hand.Moment of the matchIt is often said Quetta do not have superstars in their lineup, relying instead on team performances. There is one glaring exception to that of course in the form of Pietersen. However, when he came in today at 23 for 1, he edged the first ball from Sohail to the wicketkeeper. It was a poor shot first up against the seaming ball and it left him with three runs in two matches. Other teams might struggle in the absence of a contribution from such an instrumental player, but Quetta have still managed to win both their games, showing there might be something in their reputation of being a team rather than just a collection of individuals.Where they standQuetta are the only team to still boast a 100 percent record and sit at the top of the table on four points. Karachi, conversely, are the only side to lose both their games and sit at the bottom of the league. This defeat means Karachi Kings have lost 9 of their 11 PSL matches with their only wins coming against Lahore Qalandars.

Lions leapfrogged Warriors at the foot of the table after winning a tight game at Buffalo Park by 14 runs. Set 258 to win on the last day after an overnight declaration by Lions, Warriors slipped to 44 for 2 before staging a series of fightbacks. First came a 112-run fifth-wicket partnership between Colin Ingram (46) and Lesiba Ngoepe (77 off 104 balls, 9×4), before both fell in the space of 16 balls. It was 183 for 8 following two more quick wickets, and Warriors seemed on the brink of a comfortable win, when Simon Harmer (45) and Anrich Nortje (26 off 24 balls) jolted them with a 54-run ninth-wicket stand. It wasn’t quite enough, though, as Warriors dismissed both of them in the space of nine balls. Beuran Hendricks, Ayavuya Myoli and Bjorn Fortuin took three wickets each.Only 30.3 overs were possible on the first day’s play after Warriors chose to bowl first. Starting day two on 107 for 3, Lions were bowled out for 307. Opener Stephen Cook (50) and No. 5 Rassie van der Dussen (82 off 175 balls, 10×4) were their top scorers while the fast bowler Nortje picked up four wickets.Then, with both teams looking to make up for time lost on day one, came a pair of declarations. Warriors were 104 behind when they closed their first innings, after an unbroken 80-run seventh-wicket stand between Somila Seyibokwe (52*) and Harmer (31*) had rescued them from 123 for 6. Then Lions lost two early wickets to Basheeru-Dean Walters before Dominic Hendricks (76*) and Temba Bavuma (52*) added a brisk, unbroken 113 to set up a second-innings declaration at 153 for 2.

AB de Villiers has made himself unavailable for selection for the upcoming Test series in New Zealand in March though he has recovered from his elbow injury, but said that he was not retiring from Test cricket.However, while squashing recent speculation that he was going to give up the longest format, AB de Villiers indicated that his priority was going to be limited-overs cricket in order to play the 2019 World Cup.”That’s a good question. Not yet. I’m not there yet,” de Villiers said in Johannesburg on Tuesday, when asked when he would return to the Test side. “The reason being that I just need to settle things in my head. Over the last few years something has come to mind, which is the fact that we haven’t won a World Cup yet. And for me to make it to the 2019 World Cup, I can’t really be serious in every format.”So I’ve made myself unavailable for the New Zealand Test series. I will be there for the ODIs, and I’m definitely not retiring from Test cricket because I have plans to come back at some stage. For me, for now the most important thing is the 2019 World Cup. I want to make sure we get there. I want to make sure we lift that trophy. Obviously there are other factors that play a role like family and time away from home, but the main reason for me is that World Cup and I feel that if I play all formats all the time, then mentally and physically I won’t be at my best.”Haroon Lorgat, the CSA chief executive, said de Villiers’ comments were not a surprise because he had been involved in discussions with the batsman. “We’ve given him the latitude of taking time off, of setting himself for the 2019 World Cup. It is very much part of our planning.”We know it’s challenging schedules that all of the players have. What I think is, he is not going to get another opportunity like he currently has with time off. To put it in this fashion – the most he must make of it now [], once he gets back on the treadmill it is all the way through to 2019.”Lorgat said he was confident de Villiers would be available for the Test series in England this summer. “What we’re doing is taking it a series at a time. I am confident that by the time we get towards looking at England and the Champions Trophy, he’ll be fully fit and raring to go. His appetite would have returned because then it would be a fair amount of time he has had. I’m confident England is kind of a series that he would want to be available for.”Earlier on Tuesday, de Villiers told South African radio station that he was “not retiring out of Test cricket.” However, he said he would have to manage his workload in order to be fit for the 2019 World Cup.”My main aim is to get to that 2019 World Cup and I am going to do everything possible to get there. It’s important to play the other formats but mentally and physically I need to be in a good space come the 2019 World Cup and that’s what I am aiming for. I know its still a long way away and it’s all about managing that really well in order for me to get there.”I am going to have to make certain choices. It’s not easy for me. I have always been the go-ahead guy, the team man, who never wants to miss a game for South Africa. But [with] the schedules these days, it’s really tough to play all formats, especially at the age of 32, when most cricketers don’t go past the age of 35. If you do the math, it takes to me to 2019, 2020 at the most. Hopefully by then I will still be fit and be there to lift the trophy with the boys.”AB de Villiers said he would play the T20I against Sri Lanka on January 25•Getty Images

De Villiers said he had recovered from the elbow injury that kept him out of cricket since August last year and hoped to make a comeback in the third T20I against Sri Lanka on January 25.”I’ve had this elbow injury for a while now but I am fully fit again and I am playing in that last T20 in Cape Town on the 25th and then in the ODIs,” de Villiers said. “I am really excited to get going.”The recent speculation over de Villiers’ Test future arose after comments from South Africa’s Test captain Faf du Plesiss and coach Russell Domingo indicated uncertainty over de Villiers’ return to the side.De Villiers, 32, has not played a Test since January 2016, when he was the stand-in captain for Hashim Amla. He took over in the middle of a four-Test series against England, which South Africa lost 2-1 in the midst of discussions over his own workload. De Villiers had spent the early part of the series explaining the need to “keep myself fresh” and “maybe not play all kinds of cricket.”At the end of the series, de Villiers was named permanent Test captain and he accepted the job while fully committing to South Africa. However, he was sidelined with an elbow injury after the Caribbean Premier League in July and, at first, opted for a conservative approach to treatment, which involved rest and rehabilitation rather than surgery. That ruled him out of a two-Test series against New Zealand in August. By October, he had still not recovered and was forced to have surgery, which ruled him out of the home ODIs and an away Test series against Australia. Du Plessis was captain in his absence and led South Africa to series wins in both assignments.De Villiers had still not recovered by December, ahead of the Tests against Sri Lanka at home, and stepped down as Test captain early in the month. Du Plessis was confirmed as his successor and led South Africa to another series victory.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has emphasised the need for his batsmen to give his bowlers a chance on the tour of South Africa by getting runs in tough conditions. Mathews said the team had been batting on granite to try and get used to extra bounce ahead of the three-Test series beginning on December 26.”With Dushmantha Chameera coming back into the team and young Vikum Sanjaya earning his spot, we have got a fairly decent pace attack which can put them under pressure, but we need to score runs as a batting unit,” Mathews said ahead of the team’s departure for South Africa. “It’s going to be our main challenge; the boys have worked extremely hard in the past few weeks.”Part of that hard work was facing deliveries coming off granite surfaces to try and mimic the conditions in South Africa. “The pace the boys are used to, it’s just the the bounce and the conditions that we need to get used to,” Mathews said. “We used a lot of granite stuff, especially the batters. When you use a piece of granite, the ball is coming on to you quicker. The granite is laid down on the pitch and you can throw the ball on it so that it comes on quicker.”We’ve done everything possible to try and counterattack the South African fast bowlers and get used to their conditions. We have about 12 days before we play our first Test on Boxing Day. We’ll try and use those days to the maximum so that we get things right.”Mathews was aiming to break the predominant trend in modern-day cricket, where teams struggle to win away from home. Sri Lanka won a Test series 2-0 in Zimbabwe in October and November but South Africa, who won 2-1 in Australia recently, are significantly tougher opponents. When Sri Lanka last toured South Africa, in 2011-12, they lost the three-Test series 1-2.”Most of the teams do well and win at home but struggle overseas. It happens to any team but we want to try and achieve some wins overseas and turn the tables,” Mathews said. “I am confident that my team can do it. We got a good combination where we have five fast bowlers, two experienced spinners and a solid batting order.”Sri Lanka’s batting was boosted by the return of Mathews, who recovered from a leg injury, and Dinesh Chandimal, whose broken hand had healed. They will slot into the middle order along with Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva. Mathews hoped that his side would have stability, which he said was a reason for South Africa’s success.”Except for one or two changes, they are pretty much a settled team for the past four-five years,” Mathews said of South Africa. “They have been going with the same sort of players, maximum 20. They have managed a set combination and now the results are showing. The settled combination is the one that has led to their success today.”We are now doing the same, we talked about it a lot. The solution is not to chop and change but be patient with the players.”Sri Lanka have a three-day warm-up game in Potchefstroom before the first Test in Port Elizabeth from December 26. The second Test is in Cape Town from January 2 and the third in Johannesburg from January 12, after which the teams play three T20Is and five ODIs.

Australia’s former captain Ricky Ponting has put his hand up for a role with the national team, expressing interest in either a selection or coaching job in the wake of the side’s present slump. He recently concluded his coaching tenure with Mumbai Indians in the IPL, and there has been some speculation over whether he may be the right man to help drive the Australian team back to better health.”I’d consider it. I said from the moment I retired that Australian cricket is me. I love Australian cricket and some of the guys that are playing now, I played cricket with them,” Ponting told the . “I’m open to discuss any role with Cricket Australia and whatever they come to me with, I’ll talk to my family and if we can make it work then great, because I want the best for Australian cricket and I think I’ve got a lot to offer as far as that’s concerned.”Ponting reflected on the departure of the former selection chairman Rod Marsh and the unforgiving nature of the job. “It’s a tough job and it’s a thankless job as well,” Ponting said. “If you pick a team and it wins, you don’t get any credit, but if you pick a team and it loses all of a sudden you’re the worst in the world.”It’s a huge commitment; a massive time commitment. I’m still incredibly passionate about the game and about Australian cricket, but it’s hard to find a role that’s going to work both for me and for Cricket Australia.”Since his retirement from international cricket in 2012, Ponting has worked in a range of cricket and media roles, and kept in touch with the team. He was among the select circle of people the team performance manager Pat Howard spoke to around the appointment of Darren Lehmann as coach in place of Mickey Arthur in 2013.

South Africa’s captain AB de Villiers has been ruled out of the home ODI series and away Test series against Australia because of a persistent elbow injury. He will have surgery early next week and will need eight to ten weeks of recovery time.”AB has failed to come through his fitness test this morning,” Mohammad Moosajee, SA team manager said. “Although the physio strapped his elbow while he was batting and he did have some relief with some shots, the elbow pain has not gone away completely.”When the initial injury was discovered, the issue was that he was having impingement with certain shots. With that in mind, we advocated a period of rest, he has seen the physiotherapist for treatment, he received some bio-kinetics and rehab, and also saw an elbow specialist for the infiltration of cortisone. In most cases, you get resolving of symptoms within six weeks. This did not take place, so we gave him an extra week to see if it would recover.

Updated ODI squad for Australia series

Faf du Plessis (capt), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn

“This morning, he had a couple of throwdowns. The elbow was strapped and he had some symptom relief. He probably felt about 80% better than without the strapping. But knowing AB, the complete cricketer that he is, he wants to make sure none of his shots are restricted. With that in mind, we decided on surgery and to give him adequate time to recover so he doesn’t hamper his career going forward.”The recovery is anything between eight to ten weeks and we are hopeful he will recover for the Sri Lanka series in December.”De Villiers will sit out the five home ODIs – beginning on September 30 – and the three Tests in Australia in November, one of which will be South Africa’s maiden day-night fixture. He also missed the two Tests against New Zealand in August and the one-off ODI against Ireland because of the injury.AB de Villiers has not led South Africa in a Test since he was named captain•Getty Images

Moosajee clarified that de Villiers’ injury was not a tennis elbow, a condition that former cricketers Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and Sachin Tendulkar had suffered from during their careers. He said that the workload for top players was a concern and Cricket South Africa was looking into how to manage them better.”In any sportsman’s life, he is going to encounter some form of injury. There is no doubt that sometimes it’s overload or overuse,” Moosajee said. “But the load of cricket there is, is something CSA is looking at seriously.”Generally, our season is eight to nine months. Most of the guys go and play in the IPL as well. We need to make sure the guys are injury free, that they have no niggles before we release them, and we need to make sure we restrict them from playing in the other leagues if they are carrying a niggle, or if workload dictates that they need a rest.”Rilee Rossouw will remain with the ODI squad for the series against Australia, while Faf du Plessis is likely to lead the Test squad in Australia. “Faf has led the team, he will do the same in the ODI series against Australia,” Moosajee said. “And I have no doubt he will carry on for another series.”

Australia have conceded the No. 1 Test ranking to India after losing all three Tests on their tour of Sri Lanka. Virat Kohli’s team – currently ahead of Pakistan by one point – must win the fourth Test against West Indies, beginning on August 18 in Trinidad, to retain their top ranking.Australia slipped to No. 3 after the 163-run defeat at the SSC; they had begun the series with 118 points but finished the contest just ahead of England, who also have 108 points at No. 4, on the ICC’s rankings.As a result of Australia being whitewashed 3-0, Pakistan have risen to No. 2, having drawn their four-Test tour of England 2-2. Should India fail to beat West Indies in Trinidad, Pakistan will become the No. 1 ranked Test side for the first time.Sri Lanka’s performance led to them over-taking South Africa to move into sixth place with 95 points. They had begun the home series against Australia at No. 7 with 85 points.ICC Test rankings 1 India (112 points), 2 Pakistan (111), 3 Australia (108), 4 England (108), 5 New Zealand (99), 6 Sri Lanka (95), 7 South Africa (92), 8 West Indies (65), 9 Bangladesh (57), 10 Zimbabwe (8)

Ireland have announced an ODI against West Indies against in September next year and have also confirmed the schedule for the tri-series in May involving New Zealand and Bangladesh.West Indies will play their match on September 13 ahead of the one-day series against England later that month. It will be the first time they have met since Ireland beat West Indies by four wickets in Nelson during the 2015 World Cup.It will also bring Phil Simmons, the former Ireland coach who is now in charge of West Indies, back to face his former charges.”I’m really looking forward to bringing the West Indies team to Ireland,” said Simmons. “I had eight great years there as coach and made some lasting friendships as well as winning trophies. It should be a tough contest and Irish conditions will be ideal in helping our preparations for England.”The tri-series in May will be part of the preparation for New Zealand and Bangladesh ahead of the Champions Trophy.Ireland take on Bangladesh in the first game on May 12 before facing New Zealand two days later.New Zealand and Bangladesh go head-to-head on May 17, with Ireland playing Bangladesh for a second time on May 19.Ireland’s final game is against New Zealand on May 21, with the last game in the series between New Zealand and Bangladesh taking place on May 24.Ireland will begin their 2017 season with a two-match series against England with matches at Lord’s and Bristol.