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Rajendra Chandrika is keen to move on from his forgettable debut against Australia in Kingston, where he registered a pair to become the 40th batsman to start his Test career in such fashion.Chandrika, called up to replace an indisposed Marlon Samuels for the second Test, lasted a total of nine balls and 16 minutes in the match, falling to Mitchell Starc in both innings. He put his failures down to poor shot selection.”Once I reached the middle all I had wanted is to get off the mark in both innings but the shot selections were not good,” Chandrika told . “I just want to put that Test behind me and concentrate on the future. I still have a lot of cricket in me so one bad Test is not the end.”Coach Phil Simmons too had words of encouragement for Chandrika. “He has to understand that he can bat, or else he would not have been on the team. He has to keep that confidence in himself, correct his flaws and move forward in his career,” Simmons was quoted as saying by the .Chandrika had opened the batting for the WICB President’s XI in a tour game at North Sound and made 74 in the first innings before being dismissed for a first-ball duck in the second dig.

England toiled hard to extract two of the ten wickets they hunted for victory in the opening Test on a dying surface, gaining a huge lift late in the day courtesy of a breathtaking slip catch from Chris Jordan, after leaving West Indies a target of 438

The Report by Andrew McGlashan16-Apr-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details0:57

Dobell: Ballance outstanding on Day 4

England toiled hard to extract two of the ten wickets they hunted for victory in the opening Test on a dying surface, gaining a huge lift late in the day courtesy of a breathtaking slip catch from Chris Jordan, after leaving West Indies a target of 438 or 130 overs to survive. Devon Smith and Darren Bravo had looked on course to bat throughout the final session before the intervention of Joe Root and Jordan, but the home side retained hope of being able to withstand the final day.The first two sessions went almost perfectly to plan for England as they scored comfortably to set up the declaration which came half an hour before tea. Gary Ballance’s fourth hundred in nine Tests, which came from 233 balls, banished doubts over his form following a difficult period in the one-day side and Jos Buttler’s brisk half-century helped propel the latter stages of the innings.Stuart Broad struck in the five-over period before tea with a perfectly directed short ball into Kraigg Brathwaite’s chest which was fended behind square to the specifically positioned backward short leg; as with Marlon Samuels in the first innings a plan had come together. Another short ball then struck Bravo on the shoulder as he turned his head, but both he and Smith, who faced 131 balls in a sixth Test fifty, showed commendable resolve during the final session.England tested Bravo with the short ball and while his technique did not always convince he was aided by a surface that was becoming slower and lower. Still, it remained noticeable that England’s quicks again found much less movement with the new ball than their West Indian counterparts had done in both innings.In the end, it was the part-time spin of Root, which has previously nipped out important wickets against Australia and India, which lured Bravo into driving out of the rough. But, as with James Tredwell’s removal of Brathwaite on the second day, the wicket owed everything to the wonderful agility of Jordan who dived to his right with the ball going fine of him. It was soon being placed into the “best people had seen” category.Smith, who had driven and cut strongly, survived a tense final six overs alongside Samuels having moved to his first fifty since 2010, just a sixth in a 37-match career which stretches back to 2003. Tredwell created some tricky moments, extracting some bounce to beat Smith, but Root gained more purchase out of the footmarks and found another edge from Smith, almost a carbon-copy of Bravo’s, which Jordan could not pluck out moments after his stunner.The wait continued for James Anderson as he searched for the two wickets to overtake Ian Botham’s England record. It was disgruntled Jimmy for stages of the second innings as the ball refused to move and he tried to create angles against the left handers by switching regularly between over and around the wicket. Reverse swing, another of Anderson’s skills, could yet be a factor and both he, and England, will remain well aware that a collapse is rarely far away for West Indies.England made positive progress during the morning session, adding 108 runs in 29 overs, as it quickly became clear West Indies were content to play a waiting game. Ballance was first to his half-century, from 125 balls, with a handsome cover drive and he looked increasingly comfortable following his first-innings battles and a tough start on Wednesday evening. Making the most of width, even on deliveries when not much was on offer, he was far more the player who churned out the runs against Sri Lanka and India last year than the one who has limped through recent ODI appearances.Gary Ballance grew in confidence at the crease during a fourth Test hundred•Getty ImagesAt lunch he was on 92 and he brought up three figures with a thumping straight drive against Sulieman Benn, who appeared keen to share a few words – perhaps not entirely congratulatory – with the batsman; Ballance later deposited the same bowler over long-on. Shortly after reaching his hundred he took a fierce blow on the arm from a Buttler straight drive, which needed some treatment, and then picked out deep midwicket, hitting against the wind rather than with it as he had earlier.Root was again very active at the crease, as was Ben Stokes when he arrived, meaning Ballance did not have to force himself out of a tempo he was comfortable with. Two strong drives off Jerome Taylor took Root to 49 and the fifty arrived from 68 deliveries. However, for the second time in the match he dragged into his stumps – this time playing a Jason Holder delivery into the ground with the spin taking it backwards – but the hard work in setting up the innings with Ballance had given England a formidable position.Stokes soon indicated that he would not be hanging around, reverse sweeping Benn for his second boundary. He was keen to keep going after lunch but was comfortably stumped as he charged at Benn in the first over after the interval. Buttler, though, was soon moving through the gears as he repeatedly reverse swept Benn and Samuels. He twice cleared the straight boundaries off Benn in an innings which showed off his full repertoire.West Indies were showing signs of raggedness by the end but, much to their credit, it did not translate into their batting. It was still a long haul, though, to pull off the save.

ScorecardFile photo: Colin Munro carried Auckland home with plenty of time to spare•PA Photos

On Saturday, Wellington registered their first win in five games in this season’s Ford Trophy. Today, they registered yet another loss, at the hands of table-toppers Auckland. Auckland’s seamers put in a solid showing in helpful conditions to restrict Wellington to 208 for 7, before Colin Munro struck a rapid, unbeaten 65 to carry them home with more than 10 overs to spare.Wellington chose to bat, and all of their batsmen got starts – only No. 7 Luke Woodcock did not get into double digits – but failed to make it count on an overcast day. Only Alecz Day – who made an unbeaten 61 off 76 balls – managed to get to a fifty, and only one other batsman got past 25: opener Michael Pollard. Michael Bates led Auckland’s attack with figures of 3 for 20 in his 10.Auckland received a big blow in the chase when Rob Nicol retired hurt on 22 off 23 balls, having hit the ball onto his foot, but a partnership of 90 between Munro and Craig Cachopa at over a run a ball ensured they were always on track. Nicol was taken to hospital for x-rays, and played no further part in the game. Auckland didn’t miss him too much, though, getting to their target in 39.1 overs with four wickets to spare.

Former India batsman VVS Laxman has backed up Sachin Tendulkar’s criticism of the way Greg Chappell treated senior players during his tenure as coach between 2005 and 2007, saying he “took Indian cricket backwards.”In his autobiography , Tendulkar had claimed Chappell made a veiled threat about dropping Laxman when the batsmen said he did not want to open the innings. “This happened in 2006 at the Wankhede Stadium when India were playing England,” Laxman told NDTV. “Yuvraj Singh was picked ahead of me and five bowlers were fielded. We were going to the West Indies for a four-Test series after that and he asked me if I would open.”I mentioned that back in 2000, I had decided I would not open anymore after it didn’t work for me in the first four years. I was consistent in the middle order. Chappell asked me my age and said – Don’t you think 31 is too young an age to sit at home? I had a very good run under him. I was the second highest run-scorer under him.”Laxman said the team environment created by Chappell was poor. “In 2006, it was the worst dressing-room I was part of,” he said. “I have played under various coaches and captains for 16 years but that year was the worst atmosphere in a dressing-room.”More than anything else, it was very evident that there was an attempt to create a rift. A cricket team is like a family and there is no point in creating a divide between seniors and juniors. It was very unfortunate. The seniors felt very insecure. We never understood why Chappell thought that way when the seniors were playing well.”

Not even Zimbabwe’s most successful performance in the field against South Africa in 15 years could change the inevitable

The Report by Firdose Moonda19-Aug-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsWayne Parnell was named Man of the Match for his all-round display•AFP

Not even Zimbabwe’s most successful performance in the field against South Africa in 15 years could change the inevitable. Despite bowling their big brothers out for the first time since the 1999 World Cup, and just the third time in their 34-ODI history, Zimbabwe could not avoid a series defeat.After stemming South Africa’s speedy start and punctuating their progress by plucking through their middle and lower order, Zimbabwe gave themselves the best chance of levelling the series and then squandered it. Their batting proved brittle with only Sean Williams and the tail mounting any resistance. The rest engineered their own downfall against a disciplined but not overly dangerous South African attack.Zimbabwe would have known there were no demons in the pitch when they watched South Africa bat. Apart from the usual sluggishness and a small amount of turn, South Africa found runs with nothing more than old-fashioned digging in and that it was possible to play with relative freedom in parts.Quinton de Kock breezed to a sprightly 38, helped by Brian Vitori’s struggles to find a strangling line as he made his return from an ankle niggle, and became the join fastest to 1000 ODI runs. De Kock shares the record with Jonathan Trott, who also reached the milestone in 21 innings.De Kock only added one run to the landmark figure before becoming the second of three quick wickets, as Zimbabwe wrested control of the innings. Both he and Hashim Amla fell to John Nyumbu and AB de Villiers was run out freakishly after thinking he had paddled the ball past wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami, when in fact it had stopped at the wicketkeeper’s feet.South Africa lost three wickets for 13 in the space of 26 deliveries to land Faf du Plessis in a familiar rebuilding role. With JP Duminy, du Plessis negotiated Zimbabwe spinners, Sikandar Raza included, with care. For seven overs they could not find the boundary and had to be content with 26 runs in ones and twos before Duminy was bowled around his legs.David Miller failed to take advantage of the more than 20 overs he had in front of him until the latter stages of his innings, when he was the key protagonist in South Africa’s most profitable over. Luke Jongwe was taken for 18 runs in the penultimate over of the Powerplay, a period in which South Africa scored 43 runs but lost both du Plessis and Miller.Du Plessis was their only half-centurion, proof that watchfulness can go further than all-out aggression on occasion. His enterprising innings meant that by the time South Africa entered the final fifth of their innings they were in almost exactly the same position as they were in during the first ODI, at least in runs terms. On Sunday, South Africa had been 208 for 1. On Tuesday, they were 206 for 6.The wickets were testament to Elton Chigumbura’s more creative captaincy – he rotated bowlers with more thought and set better fields – and the spinners’ stranglehold. But South Africa’s lower middle order was still capable of mounting a surge. Wayne Parnell and Kyle Abbott put on 41 runs for the eighth wicket to take the score past 250 and leave the contest well-balanced at the halfway stage.Zimbabwe would have been pleased with their last 10-over squeeze of 51 for 4, until their own first 12 were complete. As was the case in the first ODI, Zimbabwe lost the match in the space of 22 overs when the chase was crippled in its infancy.Mutumbami was dropped on 3 by de Villiers at second slip but added just nine more before being trapped lbw by an Aaron Phangiso arm ball. Hamilton Masakadza left a gap between bat and pad, which Parnell snuck through with a good-length ball, and Raza left a Ryan McLaren ball that angled into him.At 26 for 3, Brendan Taylor was considered Zimbabwe’s last hope but he disappointed again when he hit Duminy straight to Miller at long-on. Williams held together the middle order but found few allies as McLaren and Parnell, who picked up his 50th ODI wicket when Chigumbura top-edged a short ball that got big on him to mid-on, sliced through.The margin of defeat was cut by a stubborn ninth-wicket stand of 41 in 5.3 overs between Neville Madziva and Nyumbu, who thrilled his home crowd with his shot-making, and lusty blows from Vitori, who took 20 runs off Duminy’s last over. That will come as scant consolation for Zimbabwe. They were mostly bossed by a South African side that has both a trophy and a cupboard full of reserve bowlers with a game to go before this series is officially over.

Yorkshire’s deprivations again were comfortably overcome as Warwickshire conceded a lead just big enough to raise the uncomfortable possibility of a third consecutive innings defeat in matches between these sides

Jon Culley at Edgbaston23-Jun-2014
ScorecardAaron Finch, expected to make his mark in T20, scored his first Championship hundred for Yorkshire•Getty ImagesYorkshire’s deprivations again were comfortably overcome as Warwickshire conceded a lead just big enough to raise the uncomfortable possibility of a third consecutive innings defeat in matches between these sides.Half-centuries from Alex Lees and Jonny Bairstow preceded one from Rich Pyrah to go with his fine bowling on day one, but all were trumped by Aaron Finch, who scored a first Championship century with which he was so delighted as he watched his ninth four race unstoppably towards the midwicket boundary he bounded across two neighbouring pitches, leaping in the air and thrusting his bat in the direction of the Yorkshire dressing room.Its significance to the Australian batsman was clearly momentous, no doubt because he represents that modern phenomenon, the Twenty20 specialist who wishes it to be known that he can be a proper cricketer too. He has scored more runs in T20 than any other form, most notably smashing 156 in just 63 balls against England at the Ageas Bowl last year, and he was hired primarily to unleash his muscle power on the NatWest Blast.Yet it was always in Yorkshire’s plans that Finch would play Championship cricket while Kane Williamson was on duty with New Zealand. It is in Finch’s plans, moreover, to play Test cricket, quite possibly here next summer. He had scored first-class hundreds before, one in the Sheffield Shield and another for Australia A, but it appeared – unless he celebrated the first two with similar extravagance – that this one meant more. He can set it alongside his 88 off 55 balls in the Roses T20 as the highlights of his summer so far.The manner of this innings was more prudent, naturally, although he did not miss many opportunities to flex his muscles, twice lifting balls from Jeetan Patel, the offspinner, over the ropes, and blasting one delivery from Keith Barker, the left-arm quick, for six over extra cover. The shot benefited from a short boundary but cleared 17 rows of seats before it landed. An off-drive for four followed next ball and a meaty pull to the midwicket boundary in the same over brought up the hundred.Finch was out on 110, top-edging an attempted pull against Boyd Rankin, to which Tim Ambrose reacted with a salmon-like leap to take a fine, acrobatic catch with one hand behind the stumps, but by then Yorkshire were well on the way to maximum bonus points, which they needed to keep pace with Nottinghamshire as joint leaders in the Championship.There were solid contributions, too, from Lees, who advanced to 64 before Chris Woakes tempted him with a bit of width and found the edge, and Bairstow, who escaped a chance on 26 but otherwise looked in good order until he chopped a ball from Rankin on to his stumps on 68, ending a stand of 92 with Finch during an afternoon session that added 134 for that one loss.The final session at least yielded some wickets for Warwickshire, although not quickly enough for them to take three bowling points. Pyrah, who shared a stand of 123 in 30 overs with Finch, was leg before for a commendable 62, then Steve Patterson added 32 before he was caught at midwicket. Ryan Sidebottom nicked one to the wicketkeeper before Varun Chopra held a slip catch off Rankin as Jack Brooks fell for 3.

MatériaMais Notícias

Foi um 0 a 0 daqueles que acabaram com a sensação de que Paraná e Oeste mostraram potencial para ter aberto o placar na Vila Capanema pela Série B do Brasileirão. Ainda mais pelo fato de que, com o ponto para cada lado, os dois times seguem grudados na tabela de classificação onde o Rubrão é o 13° e o Tricolor é o 14° ambos com sete unidades.

VISITANTE ‘FOLGADO’

As duas oportunidades inicialmente mais perigosas formuladas por um dos ataques acabou vindo pelo bom toque de bola e movimentação apresentada pela equipe de Barueri. Em cruzamento onde a bola sobrou dentro da grande área, Bruno Paraíba acabou “desviando” chute que seria ainda mais insinuante de Cicinho enquanto, na segunda oportunidade, o meio-campista Alyson abriu espaço para soltar a bomba de média distância e assustou o gol do seu chará, Alisson.

RESPONDEU “BALANÇANDO”, SÓ QUE A TRAVE

Depois desse momento, o Paraná passou a ser mais ativo com posse de bola principalmente no ataque, mas se mostrava com dificuldade de transformar essa posse em reais chances de marcar. Apesar disso, conseguiu formular dois lances consecutivos onde, em chute muito bom de Ramon e na cabeçada mandando no outro canto de Matheus Cavicholi, a trave esquerda e o travessão salvaram o Oeste de sair atrás do placar na Vila Capanema.

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REPETECO

Assim como havia ocorrido nos primeiros minutos do jogo, o time dirigido por Renan Freitas começou mais ligado e ganhando não só território, mas também praticamente todas as bolas que eram afastadas de maneira mais “afobada” pelo sistema defensivo paranaense. Foi inclusive com esse tipo de trabalho de pressão que, aos sete minutos, o zagueiro Rodolfo quase perdeu a posse para Bruno Paraíba que ficaria cara a cara com Alisson, mas o arqueiro do Tricolor da Vila se antecipou e fez a intervenção.

JOGO ABERTO

Com o passar do tempo, a partida foi ficando cada vez mais franca no quesito dos dois ataques onde o sistema defensivo tanto de Paraná como do Oeste pareciam posicionados de maneira tão avançada que, a todo momento, as chegadas proporcionavam algum tipo de perigo tanto pelo alto como em lances trabalhados na troca de passes.

GOLAÇO! MAS NÃO VALEU

Já nos acréscimos, um lindo chute dado de fora da área por João Pedro com a perna esquerda que até foi tocado por Cavicholi, mas entrou no ângulo, poderia ter definido o embate. Todavia, a arbitragem já havia marcado previamente a falta em cima do lateral-esquerdo Alyson para desespero dos paranistas.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEd Joyce scored 13 fours in his unbeaten 74•ICC/Saleem Sanghati

Allrounder John Mooney’s maiden first-class five-for and an unbeaten half-century from Ed Joyce led Ireland to a strong position on the second day of the ICC Intercontinental Cup final in Dubai. At close of play Ireland were 159 for 2, ahead by 164, after having clinched a five-run lead in the first innings.Mooney, who had dismissed Afghanistan’s top order on the first day, got the first breakthrough for Ireland, dismissing Rahmat Shah to break the 57-run stand for the fourth wicket. Afghanistan lost Asghar Stanikzai and Samiullah Shenwari quickly, but a 42-run stand between Mohammad Nabi and Mirwais Ashraf took the side to within 12 runs of Ireland’s first-innings score. Trent Johnston, playing his last match for Ireland, brought his side back into the game by dismissing Ashraf for 14. Afghanistan lost their last three wickets with the score on 182, as left-arm spinner George Dockrell wrapped up the tail. Dockrell finished with 3 for 52 and Johnston chipped in with two wickets, to add to Mooney’s 5 for 45.Ireland lost opener Paul Stirling early in the second innings and William Porterfield fell after a 38-run stand with Joyce. Niall O’Brien and Joyce then added 106 runs for the third wicket before stumps.

Michael Carberry and Alastair Cook impressed as an alternative opening combination for England on the first day against Australia A in Hobart

The Report by Daniel Brettig in Hobart06-Nov-2013
Scorecard0:00

‘Spare a thought for Bairstow’

Shiny, space-age in design and emblazoned with a racing stripe, Michael Carberry’s batting helmet seems less appropriate headgear for an Ashes tour match than Olympic track cycling. There was something of the road race about day one in Hobart, however, as Carberry and his captain Alastair Cook tested out an alternative opening combination to impressive effect against Australia A on a pristine Bellerive Oval pitch.His choice of headgear was the only jarring thing about Carberry, who otherwise looked entirely at ease alongside Cook and made a persuasive case for his inclusion at the top of the order in Brisbane. Joe Root, who had opened across the earlier Ashes encounter in England, was left to watch from the boundary’s edge from his new post at No. 5, and must now be pondering a middle-order commission across the five Tests. By the close Carberry and Cook had pushed on to the highest opening stand ever seen at Bellerive.Equally welcome for England alongside Carberry’s appearance of certainty was Cook slipping comfortably into the prolific batting groove he occupied on the last tour in 2010-11. Helped by Australia A bowling that was often too short and too straight, he had little trouble scoring freely around the ground, and showed no signs of the back stiffness that had ruled him out of the opening tour fixture in Perth.For the Australia A captain Moises Henriques and his somewhat uneven XI – far stronger in batting than bowling – it was a day of unrequited toil. Unable to take early wickets when the pitch offered the mildest hint of life, the hosts were sentenced to a day devoid of joy, coming closest to a wicket in the evening when a snick by Carberry from Ben Cutting on 135 landed short of Trent Copeland in the gully. They face further hard labour on the ‘morrow.Upon choosing to bat on a surface far less verdant than those prepared in Hobart this time last summer, Cook revealed that his opening partner would not be Root but Carberry. He had hinted as much on match eve, but it remained notable to glimpse Cook walking to the middle accompanied by the very same man Shane Warne had recommended as a better option at the top in Australia than Root.Michael Carberry finished the day unbeaten on 153•Getty ImagesThere was some semblance of early life in the pitch, and neither Cook nor Carberry looked completely at ease in the early overs, nudging runs here and there while being beaten often by balls that zipped away from them. Most often these were bowled by Copeland, demonstrating the seam-up skill that made him a valued recruit for Northamptonshire earlier in the year. It was the jetlagged Henriques who made the first appeal of the morning, striking Cook on the pads in the vicinity of off stump but not finding any response to his shout.Those early alarms safely negotiated, Cook and Carberry were able to settle in. Nothing could be found in the pitch for either of the spinners Jon Holland and Glenn Maxwell, while Cutting’s line and length were not quite consistent enough to create the desired pressure. Cook reached his 50 just before lunch, and Carberry joined him soon after.Closely watched by the team director Andy Flower and the batting coach Graham Gooch, Carberry played neatly enough, seeing off several periods of slow scoring without growing too frustrated. He snicked numerous deliveries going across him towards the slips when attempting come forward and drive, but was otherwise able to sit on the back foot in defence and attack, suggesting that Australia A’s bowlers too often dropped short of the ideal zone.Cook meanwhile offered his familiar mixture of sound judgment, efficient strokeplay and deep reserves of concentration, able to work the ball off his hip consistently to rotate strike and frustrate the local attack. Both batsmen enjoyed themselves against the spinners, Holland treated with particular brusqueness in his short spells and shielded for much of the day while Henriques hoped for the wicket that would bring a right-hander to the crease.It was not to arrive, however. Cook was 97 at tea and reached his century shortly after the resumption, marking it with a low key celebration that recognised the innings as a sound building block for the tour to come but nothing more. Carberry was understandably more demonstrative when he crested three figures, rejoicing an innings that will go a long way towards earning him a place in the Test team for Brisbane.Carberry’s exuberance contrasted with the mounting fatigue of Australia A’s bowlers on a surface offering very little help at all beyond the first half hour. Some of the fielding was also poor, the lack of energy or intensity on display unlikely to have impressed the selector Rod Marsh as he watched from the stands. The new ball brought hope of renewed life as the shadows lengthened, but when Cutting drew another edge from Carberry with a delivery of decent pace and zip, it fell tantalisingly short of Copeland.England’s openers were thus left to reach the close unparted and largely unhindered, setting down a very fine platform indeed for their likely pairing across the Ashes series. In doing so they also provided Australia’s bowlers with a reminder that anything less than their best offerings may result in grim days to rival those of four summers ago. They may be seeing a lot more of the Carberry helmet.

The match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Brisbane Heat was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Ahmedabad

The Report by Mohammad Isam30-Sep-2013The rain began during the T&T-Lions match•BCCIThe match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Brisbane Heat was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Ahmedabad. This puts Sunrisers out of the Champions League after they finished with six points from four matches, winning once and losing twice. This was the third washout in Motera, after the double-header on September 23 took the same route due to rain.Heat were already knocked out having lost their first three matches. This leaves the Titans and Trinidad & Tobago battling for the second position in Group B behind Chennai Super Kings who have already qualified. All T&T need to do is not lose by a great margin against Super Kings in their final group match.The match scheduled for an 8:30pm start couldn’t go through after heavy rain began during the first match between T&T and Titans. That match ended with three overs to spare, the Caribbean side winning by six runs by the Duckworth/Lewis method.The two matches were retained in Ahmedabad, after an earlier game was moved out of the city due to week-long rains. Though there was 60% chance of rain today, the first game was uninterrupted until rain struck 17 overs into Titans’ chase.