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Brett Lee is standing by his criticism of Cricket New South Wales and its chief executive David Gilbert despite being ordered to face a Cricket Australia disciplinary hearing

Daniel Brettig28-Dec-2012Brett Lee is standing by his stinging criticism of Cricket New South Wales and its chief executive David Gilbert despite being ordered to face a Cricket Australia disciplinary hearing after being reported for allegedly breaching the Code of Behaviour during an interview. Lee has been reported by Cricket New South Wales following the interview he gave Fairfax Media last weekend, in which he said Gilbert should be sacked.Lee was critical of Gilbert’s handling of the termination of coach Anthony Stuart’s contract and also of the way Lee himself had been treated during the final stages of his state career. Although Lee is no longer contracted as a New South Wales player he is playing in the Big Bash League and thus remains bound by Cricket Australia’s Code of Behaviour.Speaking after the charge and hearing were announced, Lee said he was not backing down from his comments, stating he had taken the decision to say what many in NSW were thinking about the recent travails of cricket in the state.”What I said I meant,” Lee told Channel Nine. “I did it in the best interests of NSW cricket. I’ve loved playing every moment for NSW and I feel in the last five or six years it’s gone off the boil. Losing all these players, there’s a lot of people that thought it but didn’t want to say it so I took the leadership to stand up and I believe it should start right from the top and that’s why I mentioned David Gilbert.”There’s a lot of changes that need to happen to improve NSW cricket and I’ll stand by what I said. I’m going next week for a hearing from NSW cricket because I can then express my views and the reasons why I said this.”I’ll be looking forward to getting there and having a chat to the guys, whether it’s the commissioner or whoever it might be just to give my thoughts on how NSW cricket can improve. I said it out of the kindness of my own heart, I want to see NSW cricket strong again, I believe it’s fallen off the pace a bit.”Lee is alleged to have breached Rule 6, regarding unbecoming behaviour, as well as Rule 9, which deals with detrimental public comment. Rule 6 states that players and officials “must not at any time engage in behaviour unbecoming to a representative player or official that could (a) bring them or the game of game into disrepute or (b) be harmful to the interests of cricket”.Rule 9 states that players and officials “must not make public or media comment which is detrimental to the interest of the game”.A date and time for the hearing is yet to be confirmed.

It took eight rounds across 31 days for Chris Gayle to deliver and yet, incredibly, Sydney Thunder lost again to gift the Melbourne Stars a semi-final berth

The Report by Alex Malcolm08-Jan-2013
ScorecardChris Gayle hit the fastest fifty of the BBL, off 25 balls•Getty ImagesIt took eight rounds across 31 days for Chris Gayle to deliver and yet, incredibly, Sydney Thunder lost again to gift the Melbourne Stars a semi-final berth. The Stars’ tournament chances had seemingly slipped after setting what appeared an underwhelming target of 146 for Thunder to chase.When Gayle lit up the MCG with the fastest fifty of the BBL, off just 25 balls, Thunder’s 12-match losing streak looked to be dead and buried along with the Stars’ season. The Sydney franchise had not won since Gayle was last the Man of the Match, for a 54-ball century in December 2011 against Adelaide Strikers at the ANZ Stadium.Gayle hurtled towards three figures here as he displayed his brutal power. He thumped Jackson Bird over the sightscreen in the second over, showing utter disdain for Bird’s Test match form. Gayle then clubbed 19 runs from John Hastings’ first over, including a flat-bat down the ground, a ramp over third man, a conventional cut to point, and a contemptuous slap that cleared the longest boundary on the ground at midwicket.He had some luck, with Cameron White failing to lay a hand on a towering sky ball, and it seemed then that the prize scalp of Gayle and a semi-final berth might have escaped the Stars’ grasp. Gayle scored 50 of the 59 runs that came in the Powerplay, with Simon Keen the only wicket to fall.Matt Prior played a slow hand by comparison to Gayle. His 16-ball 7 ended when he holed out to a superb running catch at long-on by Bird. But it brought the in-form Usman Khawaja to the crease and the chase seemed a fait accompli. Thunder needed 55 from 48 balls with Gayle and Khawaja in complete command before Gayle tried to clear the rope for a fifth time, only to be caught by Glenn Maxwell for 65.Khawaja inexplicably sliced Bird to Brad Hodge at deep point the following over and what seemed impossible at the start of the 13th over suddenly appeared inevitable.Thunder conspired to lose their last eight wickets for just 41 runs to be bowled out 13 short of their target and consign themselves to a winless season and a 13th straight loss as a franchise. All the Stars bowlers were gifted at least a wicket each. James Faulkner bagged three and Dimitri Mascarenhas picked up two in his first game for the Stars as a replacement for Lasith Malinga.Earlier, Stars looked to have blown a golden chance to make the semi-finals when they compiled only 8 for 145 having elected to bat.Luke Wright ran himself out early. Rob Quiney appeared to have found some much needed touch only for his promising innings of 22 to end when he hit Sean Abbott straight up in the air and was caught by Khawaja.Brad Hodge and David Hussey were left to mount a rescue mission, as they have done so often on this ground together. Hodge again showed his class making 39 from just 26 balls before he played around a full delivery from Dirk Nannes. Hussey did as a Hussey so often does, compiling a busy 32 that featured only one boundary.But the innings fell away badly from there. The Stars managed just 18 runs from the last 25 balls, and lost four wickets in the process. Fortunately for the Stars, Thunder’s finish was even more calamitous and Shane Warne will get another chance to captain his side having been forced to watch tonight from the confines of the change rooms due to his suspension.

Brendon McCullum has said New Zealand will seek clarification about the lack of evidence on Hot Spot when Ross Taylor was given out caught behind in the final ODI

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2013Brendon McCullum has said New Zealand will seek clarification about the lack of evidence on Hot Spot, when Ross Taylor was given out caught behind in the final ODI in Auckland. McCullum stressed Taylor’s dismissal was not the reason New Zealand lost the match, and with it the series, but he said there were issues with DRS that needed to be resolved.In the 25th over, Stuart Broad appealed for a catch against Taylor, and the on-field umpire gave it out. Taylor seemed to indicate to his partner, McCullum, that he hadn’t felt an edge, and subsequently asked for the decision to be reviewed. Though there was a clear sound as the ball passed the bat, replays using Hot Spot did not reveal a definite mark on the bat. The on-field umpire’s decision was upheld, and Taylor’s exit left New Zealand on 67 for 5. They were eventually dismissed for 185 in the 44th over.”We are looking at a clarification about the lack of an edge on Hot Spot. I would have thought that was conclusive enough evidence,” McCullum said. “I don’t know the technology behind it, but to me if you nick the ball it shows up on Hot Spot, and if you don’t nick it, it doesn’t … I think the [audible] sound was the reason [it] was given.”I guess it has its good days and bad days,” McCullum said of DRS. “Provided it’s used properly, and there’s some consistency in it, and it makes the right decisions, then I think it’s a really good tool. I think there are still some issues that need to be resolved, and today was probably one of those cases.”New Zealand went down 1-2 in the series after losing in Auckland by five wickets, and McCullum said the “overall feeling is that of [a] missed opportunity”.”After going 1-0 up in the series, and on the back of such good performances against South Africa as well, the guys were determined to [win] the series. We had our opportunities in the last game, but we never grabbed them, and in this game we never really got out of second gear with the bat. There’s disappointment in the dressing room, but we did some good stuff throughout the series, too. I still think we are [going] in the right direction, albeit without the series win.”New Zealand now take on England in the first of three Tests, in Dunedin from March 6.

New Zealand took advantage of one of the most bungling England batting displays of recent vintage to take a form hold of the first Test in Dunedin

The Report by David Hopps06-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNeil Wagner struck twice in his first over and finished with figures of 4 for 42•Getty ImagesNew Zealand took advantage of one of the most bungling England batting displays of recent vintage to take a firm hold of the first Test in Dunedin. New Zealand’s bowlers were disciplined and willing, but they will have been realistic enough to know that England made a dreadful mess of it, dismissed in 55 overs and never summoning the resolve to counter a sluggish pitch.The essential docility of the surface was then amplified when New Zealand’s openers, Peter Fulton and Hamish Rutherford, the former given a Test comeback he might have imagined was beyond him, the latter on Test debut and still fresh enough to dream of untold glory, closed within 36 runs of England’s meagre total to complete a thoroughly one-sided day.Rutherford, although reprieved on 52 when Stuart Broad dropped a return catch and missed again off Broad on 64 when Kevin Pietersen failed to lock onto a chance at point, was much more expansive, whereas Fulton clung on grittily in a manner which England had failed to do earlier in the day.A triumphant start to his home Test debut by the left-arm quick Neil Wagner, who found himself on a hat-trick in his first over, was the catalyst in an extended morning session which saw England lose five wickets. Then Bruce Martin, a left-arm spinner given a Test debut at 32, was showered by celebratory gifts with three wickets in as many overs.In a week where two better-known New Zealand spinners, Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel, had attracted official opprobrium for a drinking session in Queenstown, Martin must have imagined his first excursion in Test cricket would amount to an occasional spell or two, little more than a mild libation. Instead, he must have felt himself just as intoxicated. He spent much of the day fitting and refitting his New Zealand cap on his head as if he could barely believe it.Wagner and Martin finished with four wickets apiece, with England reliant upon a ninth-wicket stand of 47 in 11 overs between James Anderson and Steve Finn to reach an entirely inadequate total.Wagner, who won his place ahead of Mark Gillespie and the injured Doug Bracewell, had managed five wickets at 68.80 in three Tests overseas, but home soil immediately proved more to his liking as he persuaded Alastair Cook to slap a back-of-a-length delivery to point and then with his next ball found a modicum of inswing to have Pietersen lbw first ball to a cagey defensive probe.Smart stats

England’s total of 167 is their lowest in the first innings of a Test match since August 2009, when they were dismissed for 102 at Headingley against Australia. It’s their third-lowest since the beginning of 2005.

It’s only the sixth time since 2005 that there’s been no half-century for England in the first innings of a Test. The last time this happened was in Johannesburg in January 2010.

Bruce Martin’s figures of 4 for 43 are the eighth-best on Test debut for New Zealand. The last bowler to do better was Doug Bracewell, who took 5 for 85 against Zimbabwe in 2011.

Hamish Rutherford’s unbeaten 77 is currently the 12th-best on debut for New Zealand, but the fourth-highest by a New Zealand opener on debut.

The 131-run stand between Rutherford and Peter Fulton is New Zealand’s first century partnership for the opening wicket in Tests against a team other than Zimbabwe in more than two years. Their last one was 120 against Pakistan in Wellington in January 2011.

The last time New Zealand had a partnership of more than 131 for the first wicket in a Test was way back in June 2004, when Stephen Fleming and Mark Richardson added 163 against England at Trent Bridge.

Pietersen had been rested from England’s T20 and ODI series and, although such official absences are an inevitable part of England’s unrelenting schedule, he pushed forward as if he was not sure what side of the equator he was on. It is easy to jump to conclusions, however – he has always been a bad starter. Wagner produced just the sort of delivery, first up, which habitually troubles Pietersen early in his innings.That was the two England batsmen who had conquered India before Christmas removed at a stroke. Only Jonathan Trott organised prolonged resistance, with 45 in nearly three hours, but even he departed in what, for England, was maddening fashion as he top-edged a sweep at Martin and holed out at short fine leg.There is often something distinctly unsettling for a batting side when a Test starts on the second morning. The anticipation and energy that is part of the build-up to a first morning is difficult to recapture. The natural rhythms of the game have been disturbed and an underlying sense of dissatisfaction lingers like stale cigarettes in a smoker’s room.But England’s habit of beginning a Test series slowly is now ingrained. The Dunedin pitch was as brown as cigarette tar and England coughed and spluttered as if on 60 a day. Any fears of excessive swing or seam did not materialise, but a holding surface was problem enough.Nick Compton must have been more heartened than anybody by the warnings from Andy Flower, England’s director of cricket, that Joe Root’s emergence must not be over-hyped. Root stayed down at No. 6 as Flower ignored calls for him to open the innings in preparation for the Ashes with Compton, whose England career has to date come with less drooling, retained at the top of the order.Both were dismissed by lunch. Compton made a four-ball duck and fell in the third over, playing on to Tim Southee as he pushed hesitantly at a fullish ball and saw it spin back onto his off stump.It was the sluggish surface that did for Cook. He was dropped on nine by Martin in front of square, reaching for a leg-side clip off Trent Boult. When he tried to carve Wagner over the off side, and mistimed the shot again, Rutherford proved more reliable.Ian Bell, on 19, survived a New Zealand review when he got a big inside edge against Southee. The only batsman to show much form ahead of the Test series, Bell displayed his usual moments of batting purity, only to descend to batting naivety when Wagner returned shortly before lunch, switched around the wicket and had him caught at short extra-cover.Neither was there any joy for Root, who played reluctantly at a back-of-a-length delivery from Boult, and dabbed to third slip, another poor shot on a dreadful England morning.It got no better after lunch. Matt Prior struck five off-side boundaries in two overs then hunted another square cut against Martin and miscued to point; Trott top-edged a sweep in the spinner’s next over; and Broad, who would have fallen lbw to Martin second ball if the bowler had dared to ask for a review, yanked a long hop to deep square.At 119 for 8, England took solace in some tail-end resistance from Anderson and Finn, but Finn also picked out deep square and when Anderson swung himself off his feet, and sliced Martin to point, it summed up England’s debacle.

James Faulkner and Tim Paine’s 161-run stand snuffed out Queensland’s chances of claiming the Sheffield Shield title as Tasmania finished the day with a lead of 434 runs

The Report by Alex Malcolm25-Mar-2013
Scorecard James Faulkner and Tim Paine helped Tasmania recovering from a precarious 6 for 56 to 7 for 240•Getty ImagesThere was a fleeting moment when the engraver walked away from the Shield and the game sprung to life. One fleeting moment when Tasmania felt vulnerable for the first time in the match, and Queensland could actually see an avenue to a victory that had previously seemed as far away as Brisbane is from Hobart.Ryan Harris provided the moment, and gave us a glimpse of what the Australian Test team has been missing. He bowled Jonathan Wells for his fourth scalp in six overs of quality pace bowling to leave Tasmania teetering at 5 for 15 in the second innings, with a lead of 209.But the ray of light dimmed as soon as it appeared, thanks to the class of Tim Paine and the tenacity of James Faulkner. The pair combined for a chanceless 161 across two sessions of near faultless batting.They negated the uneven bounce and reverse swing superbly. Faulkner’s defence was resolute and he manoeuvred the ball into gaps with great efficiency. He continued to push his case as a potential international allrounder with his highest first-class score and has a chance for a maiden century on the fifth day.Meanwhile, Paine showed the exceptional class and maturity that once had observers predicting him to be the next Australia captain. His bat was straight and broad throughout. He stayed legside of the ball and kept his front pad out of the way to take the lbw out of play. Paine’s timing was terrific on a slow surface and his placement equally impressive. He fell an 13 runs shy of his second hundred, miscuing a pull to midwicket off James Hopes in the shadows of stumps.The partnership was the fourth highest for the seventh wicket in the history of the Sheffield Shield final. They fell just short of the 163-run stand set by Sean Clingeleffer and Luke Butterworth in Tasmania’s first Shield triumph six years ago.Initially, it was Paine and Alex Doolan who showed cool heads and steady hands after the carnage caused by Harris.The first two wickets of the collapse were more luck than skill. Both Jordan Silk and Mark Cosgrove, who combined so patiently for 133 on day one, dragged wide balls onto their stumps to start the rot.Ricky Ponting shouldered arms to an inswinger from Harris and was given out appropriately. Umpire John Ward had no choice but to raise his finger, despite the knowledge that it might have ended Ponting’s last innings in Australian first-class cricket. The former captain has been non-committal about his future with Tasmania, and the Bulls had given him an ovation when he walked onto the field.Two balls after Ponting’s exit, George Bailey had his stumps shattered by Harris. Wells followed not long after, committing the same error as Ponting, and Tasmania were suddenly under pressure for the first time in the match.Harris took 4 for 10 in a fabulous spell that would have caught the eye of the Australian selectors. But Doolan and Paine showed poise. They combined for 41 before Doolan was trapped in front by Cameron Gannon. Then Paine and Faulkner snuffed out any hope of a Queensland win as the bowlers failed to threaten on a surface that is getting slower and lower.Earlier, the Bulls first innings limped past 200 as James Hopes and Nathan Hauritz made a steady start to the extended day. However, Hauritz gifted Evan Gulbis his fourth wicket of the innings with a meek return catch. Faulkner then pinned Harris lbw and yorked Hopes with a brilliant slower ball to add three wickets to his impressive batting displays in both innings.

The allrounder Daniel Christian has been confirmed as Victoria’s only interstate import for the 2013-14 season while Darren Pattinson and Ryan Carters are notable omissions from the state’s contract list

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2013The allrounder Daniel Christian has been confirmed as Victoria’s only interstate import for the 2013-14 season while notable omissions include Ryan Carters, who has signed a rookie deal with New South Wales, and Darren Pattinson. The Bushrangers have finalised their squad for next summer and other players who have lost their deals include Steven Reid and Meyrick Buchanan, while the allrounder Andrew McDonald has signed with South Australia.As expected, the legspinner Fawad Ahmed has earned a Cricket Victoria contract after bursting on to the domestic scene in the second half of the summer, while batsman Marcus Stoinis and fast bowler Ryan Sidebottom have also earned deals. Louis Cameron, who made his Sheffield Shield debut last season, has been given a rookie contract, along with Guy Walker and Matt Short.”We’re delighted with the squad that we have compiled,” Greg Shipperd, the Victoria coach, said. “The acquisition of Dan Christian from South Australia will bolster our list and will provide us with an international allrounder who still has the capacity to represent his country in all formats of the game.”Fawad Ahmed was the success story from last year and we’re extremely happy to have signed him for the next three seasons, while the likes of Stoinis, Sidebottom and Cameron will add significant depth after receiving a taste of first-class cricket.Victoria squad Fawad Ahmed, Scott Boland, Daniel Christian, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, John Hastings, Jayde Herrick, Michael Hill, Jon Holland, David Hussey, Alex Keath, Glenn Maxwell (Cricket Australia contract), Clint McKay (CA), James Muirhead, James Pattinson (CA), Rob Quiney, Chris Rogers, Will Sheridan, Peter Siddle (CA), Ryan Sidebottom, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (CA), Cameron White. Rookies Louis Cameron, Ian Holland, Matt Short, Guy Walker.

Although the match between Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire was very drawn indeed, the batting of Andrew Gale ensured that there was plenty of interest

Paul Edwards at North Marine Road08-Jun-2013
ScorecardAndrew Gale produced the highest score by a Yorkshireman since Darren Lehmann struck 339 in 2006•Getty ImagesThis was the sort of day when cricket’s stattos wear their golden anoraks with velveteen trimmings. Although the match between Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire was very drawn indeed, the batting of Andrew Gale ensured that there was plenty of interest for diehard home supporters who dutifully turned up at North Marine Road on Saturday morning, copies of the Yorkshire Post in hand, hoping to see their captain carry on precisely where he had suspended operations on Friday evening.Gale did not disappoint them. The home skipper scored a further 113 runs in 41 overs on the final day and when he was seventh out, skying a pull off Samit Patel to wicketkeeper Chris Read, his tally of 272 had broken a raft of records. His individual score is the 13th highest in Yorkshire’s history, the third highest since the war and best tally since Darren Lehmann made 339 against Durham in 2006. It was also the biggest score by a Yorkshire batsman at Scarborough. Gale faced 404 balls and batted for a minute short of nine hours.Gale collaborated in setting other records too. His 297-run partnership with Gary Ballance was the third biggest fifth-wicket stand for Yorkshire and the county’s final total of 572 for 8 declared was their highest against Nottinghamshire.Perhaps more significantly in the context of Gale’s season, his final score was 62 runs more than he had scored cumulatively in his nine previous Championship innings this season. That fact was reflected in the skipper’s growing assurance as he dominated Nottinghamshire’s bowling on the final day of this match. Batting on a pitch which suits his technique, Gale got on top of the bounce and inside the line of the ball as often as possible. Patel was hit for three sixes before he finally bought his man’s wicket.Along with Ballance, who eventually under-edged a cut to Read off Paul Franks when he had made 141, Gale showed an obvious hunger for runs by his careful strokeplay and eager running between the wickets in the first session of the day. Although Adil Rashid was caught at cover for a duck, thus reducing his season’s average to a mere 169.66, Andrew Hodd gave Gale stout assistance in the later stages of the innings as Yorkshire built a first-innings lead of 129, riches indeed considering that they were 27 for 3 late on Thursday evening.There was even time for Gale to make a gesture in the direction of winning the match, or at least embarrassing the Nottinghamshire batsmen, when he declared and gave his bowlers a maximum of 46 overs to force the most unlikely of victories. This ordeal proved too much for the utterly out of touch Alex Hales, who was lbw for 5, taking his aggregate of Championship runs for the season to 142 in twelve visits to the crease.But that was the last of the alarms for the day. True, Ryan Sidebottom struck a quite magnificent double-teapot pose when Ed Cowan survived an lbw shout and was then dropped by Adam Lyth at slip, but Cowan survived some increasingly bland Yorkshire bowling on a good pitch to finish on 53 not out when the teams shook hands at 4.50pm. By then, though, the game had been deeply drawn for at least an hour or more and the crowd were already discussing Yorkshire’s team selection for the YB40 game against Leicestershire, where a 15-year-old could play for the White Rose.

The preview to the second ODI between Ireland and Pakistan in Dublin

The Preview by Umar Farooq25-May-2013Match factsSunday, May 26
Start time 1045 local (0945 GMT, 1445 PKT)Pakistan’s bowlers failed to make an impact in the first ODI•AFPBig pictureThe first ODI of the two-match series was another telling advertisement of what Ireland are capable of on a cricket field. The end result may have been a tie but Pakistan were biting their nails for the most part as Kevin O’Brien and Paul Stirling nearly pulled off a spectacular victory. With the second match becoming a virtual final, Ireland have a great chance to win the series and attract international attention. For Pakistan, it is a matter of pride; a loss here could dent their morale ahead of the Champions Trophy in England.Traditionally, Pakistan’s bowling has been their strength but Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan and Saeed Ajmal were expensive in the first ODI. The batting was far more solid, with Mohammad Hafeez vindicating a move to No.3 in the batting order. He scored his fifth ODI hundred – his first in 14 months. Asad Shafiq was equally impressive with an almost run-a-ball 84. Pakistan will need to raise their game quickly to defuse the Ireland threat.Ireland are the best team among the Associate nations and once again impressed against an international side. The bowlers kept a stranglehold on Pakistan in the first 10 overs and the batsmen negotiated Ajmal with ease. Ireland’s thirst to perform on the world stage is clear from O’Brien saying the result felt “like a loss.”Form guide(Most recent first, completed matches only)
Ireland: TWWLW

Pakistan: TWLWLWatch out forSaeed Ajmal failed to defend 15 runs in the final 6 balls of the innings and conceded 71 runs in 10 overs as Ireland tied the first ODI after being behind for most part of the chase. Ajmal, though, is Pakistan’s trump-card and has the experience to bounce back strongly.Though he could not push Ireland across the line, Kevin O’Brien was at his belligerent best as he raced along at a strike rate close to 180. The right hander blasted 43 runs off 21 balls from Ajmal alone and his presence in the middle order poses a clear danger to Pakistan.Team newsIreland are expected to field an unchanged team.Ireland (probable): 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Niall O’Brien (wkt), 5 Gary Wilson, 6 Kevin O’Brien, 7 Andrew White, 8 Alex Cusack, 9 Trent Johnston, 10 Tim Murtagh, 11 George DockrellPakistan are likely to make one change with Wahab Riaz being tipped to replace Ehsan Adil, who only bowled three overs in the first ODI.Pakistan (probable): 1 Imran Farhat, 2 Nasir Jamshed, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Umar Amin, 7 Kamran Akmal (wkt), 8 Saeed Ajmal, 9 Junaid Khan, 10 Mohammad Irfan, 11 Ehsan Adil/Wahab RiazPitch and conditionsThough the weather is likely to remain cloudy, a full 50-over game is expected on Sunday.Stats and traviaEd Joyce needs 33 more to complete 1000 runs in ODIs.Paul Stirling holds the record for the highest score by an Ireland batsman. The second highest belongs to Kevin O’Brien. Both players appear twice on the top ten list. Mohammad Hafeez, who scored his fifth ODI century, last played at No.3 in February 2005Hafeez needs one more wicket to complete 100 wickets in ODIsQuotes”Full credit to Ireland. They needed almost ten runs an over for the last 12 overs but they batted well and we know we will have to improve our performance.”
“We definitely feel we can win the series. We respect Pakistan, they are a great team but we have nothing to fear having come so close here.”

The 2013 Champions Trophy has been deemed such a success that it appears highly likely that the competition will be repeated.

George Dobell22-Jun-2013The 2013 Champions Trophy has been deemed such a success that it appears highly likely that the competition will be repeated.The ICC had originally decided to replace the competition with a Test Championship and the 2013 tournament would be the last one. But after excellent crowds and interest from around the world, the ICC are reconsidering that decision and will discuss their options at their annual conference, from June 25-29 in London.The ICC remain keen to promote Test cricket and feel a Test Championship would complement the World T20 and the World Cup and ensure there was a high-profile competition for each of the three formats of the game. While continuing the Champions Trophy would mean there were two global 50-over events, it is now thought there is sufficient difference between the Champions Trophy and the World Cup and sufficient interest from broadcasters for both to survive.The Test Championship is pencilled into the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for a three-week window in June 2017 in the UK. But the concept in its present guise is compromised by the fact that it would involve just four teams – the top four teams in the Test rankings – and would feature only three games: two semi-finals and a final. As such, it would be of less relevance and interest to those nations not participating and may be less attractive to broadcasters. There is little scope in the FTP for a longer event or a change in venue.The ICC privately acknowledges that, even if the event was held successfully in 2017, there is a concern over its sustainability. Among their issues is the possibility that one of the key nations in terms of broadcast revenues, most obviously India, might not always be ranked among the top four Test nations, while there is also a concern that, outside the UK, games between neutral countries may not be well supported. The ICC is keen to avoid a situation where its flagship Test event is played in near-empty stadiums.While the final of the 2013 Champions Trophy is threatened by poor weather, 12 of the 15 games will have had sell-out crowds (defined as a minimum 95% of the ground capacity) with the multicultural population of the UK helping guarantee enthusiastic audiences at most games. Sensible ticket pricing has also played a part.The Champions Trophy has, for much of its existence, been unloved. But the short, sharp format involving only the top eight sides playing for only 18 days in which nearly every game has a consequence has captured the imagination of the cricket-watching public. By contrast, the 2011 World Cup lasted six weeks and featured some tediously one-sided encounters.There is a chance that the 2013 trophy may have to be shared as rain threatens to intervene in the final. Such is the frenetic international schedule it was deemed impossible to allocate reserve days. England and New Zealand, for example, play a T20 on Tuesday, just two days after the Champions Trophy final, while Australia being their Ashes preparations in earnest on Wednesday when they start a four-day match against Somerset.Whatever its faults, the strengths of the Champions Trophy format have been apparent over the last couple of weeks and, as the details of a Test Championship are considered in more detail, the Trophy has arguably never appeared so attractive.

Danza Hyatt and Vernon Philander robbed 41 runs in 14 balls to post just enough for Jamaica Tallawahs as they beat Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel by five runs

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAdrian Barath’s wicket triggered a middle-order collapse for T&T•Getty ImagesDanza Hyatt and Vernon Philander smashed 41 runs in 14 balls to post just enough for Jamaica Tallawahs as Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel failed to muster similar momentum to overhaul an achievable target at Port-of-Spain on Wednesday and lost their third match in a row.Jamaica were benefited by a swift and solid start after being invited to bat with Chris Gayle and Ahmed Shehzad collecting 44 runs before the latter holed out in the sixth over. But stifled by lack of pace, Jamaica scored 13 in the next four overs. That pressure resulted in four quick wickets as Jamaica stumbled to 81 for 5 after 15 overs and then 107 for 6 in 18. Danza Hyatt, whose 42 off 26 balls was the source of most of Jamaica’s runs during that time, was joined by Vernon Philander and they dismantled T&T captain Dwayne Bravo’s bowling in the 19th over, collecting 26 runs courtesy three sixes and a four. The final over yielded 13 more to set up a target of 147 that looked unlikely after the slowdown during the middle overs.A 62-run second wicket partnership between opener Adrian Barath and Ross Taylor kept T&T steady. However, Barath’s wicket triggered a middle-order collapse as Taylor and Darren Bravo followed him to leave T&T at 82 for 4 in 14 overs. Dwayne Bravo and Nicolas Pooran kept the home team in the game, but neither was able to tackle a constantly swelling required rate which had reached nearly 13 by the last five overs. Bravo fell in the penultimate over and his team was left six runs short of victory.