Shane Warne believes Ricky Ponting is the best man to captain Australia to an Ashes triumph this summer, despite his criticism of Ponting’s field placements last week

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2010Shane Warne believes Ricky Ponting is the best man to captain Australia to an Ashes triumph this summer, despite his criticism of Ponting’s field placements last week. Warne wrote on his own website that there was no rift between him and Ponting, and that “Never at any stage did I say or imply that Ricky’s time as captain is up”.However, the former fast bowler Geoff Lawson has raised the idea of taking the captaincy off Ponting so he can focus on his batting. The issue has occupied plenty of airtime on sports talkback radio stations over the past week, but Warne doesn’t agree with the many callers who think Ponting’s reign should end.”Ricky, to me, is the right man to lead Australia for the Ashes,” Warne wrote. “It’s a great opportunity for him to show his leadership and captaincy skills. He also looks in super touch with the bat; I am sure he’s going to fill his boots this summer.”This Ashes series is going to be the biggest of his and the Australian team’s career. I think Ricky is at his best when he shows his Tassie devil side which is, aggressive with a dash of flair.”Although Ponting was disappointed with Warne’s tweet about the fields set for Nathan Hauritz, the pair later made up by SMS. Warne said he found it “staggering, but not surprising” that his original tweet was reported as a falling-out between he and his former team-mate Ponting.”My tweet about Ricky’s fields for Nathan Hauritz for two overs has been portrayed as a rift between myself and the Australian captain and journos have tried to start a slanging match between us; what rubbish. Commentators on the match, cricket journalists and even the Indian captain, MS Dhoni, have agreed with my tweet. It was an observation, not an attack!”

A round-up of the first day of the first round of matches in the Super League of the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2010L Balaji’s 12th first-class four-wicket haul helped Tamil Nadu bowl Assam out for 184 on the opening day at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Assam began cautiously after TN chose to field on a pitch that had plenty of carry, and the openers had seen off 13.3 overs, adding 24 before debutant seamer Sunil Sam made the first breakthrough. Dheeraj Jadhav, Assam’s top-scorer last season, slashed and edged to the wicketkeeper. Sridharan Sriram, the left-hand batsman who hails from TN, could not make an impact against his old team-mates, and became Balaji’s first victim when he cut to gully. Parvez Aziz played offspinner R Ashwin with confidence and had moved to 36 with six boundaries. He also fought through a stream of bouncers before offering S Badrinath a catch off Balaji’s bowling. Badrinath had to dive low and to his left at second slip to take the chance. When star import Amol Muzumdar departed for a duck, nicking Balaji behind, TN sensed an opportunity to shoot Assam out for a low score. The spinners Aushik Srinivas and R Ashwin nipped three wickets between them, while a couple of run-outs added to Assam’s woes as they stumbled to a score under 200. TN’s openers Abhinav Mukund and Srikkanth Anirudha then batted with determination to take their side to 21 without loss by the close.Wasim Jaffer purred along to his 40th first-class century, while Rohit Sharma missed his ninth by seven runs as Mumbai launched their title defence by scoring 340 for 7 on the opening day at the Bandra Kurla Complex against Saurashtra. On a day that would have left both sides reasonably satisfied, there were several important individual performances that stood out. Dropping himself to No. 3 in the absence of the injured middle-order bulwark Ajinkya Rahane, Jaffer carried on his penchant for plundering domestic hundreds, after Jayesh Odedra’s double-strike. At the other end, with the selectors’ eye on his fitness and temperament, Rohit launched himself into the Saurashtra attack with typical elegance. His 93 came off 86 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes, leading Mumbai to 252 for 2 and in sight of a towering score. Then came the third most significant performance of the day, from another India hopeful. Ravindra Jadeja has had his place in the Indian questioned by all and sundry, and he responded with an incisive spell with the game threatening to run away. He dismissed Sharma, Abhishek Nayar and Ramesh Powar, leading Saurashtra’s resurgence in the evening session and left them with an opportunity to finish Mumbai’s innings early on the second day.For more on this match, click here.Opener Arindam Das’ seventh first-class century was the highlight of the opening day at the Feroz Shah Kotla as Bengal posted a dominant 313 for 2 against a Delhi attack that struggled for incisiveness. Ten months after the abandonment of an ODI due to an underprepared pitch, the Kotla track was at its benign best as Das settled down for a big innings, in Shreevats Goswami’s company. The pair raised 133 in 37.2 overs, giving the hosts a taste of what was to come before Goswami fell for 68, the first of Mithun Manhas’ two wickets. Abhishek Chowdhury was more cautious, but it did not affect Bengal’s speed of scoring as Das shifted gears upwards. Manoj Tiwary who came in at Chowdhury’s exit kept the momentum going with an unbeaten 47 off 80 balls. At the other end, Das, kicked on after reaching his ton and finished the day unbeaten on 150. His knock included 19 fours, and he looked good for more when stumps were drawn.For more on this match, click here.Yuvraj Singh managed a half-century but, like the rest of his top-order mates, was guilty of throwing away a start, as Uttar Pradesh held Punjab to 279 for 6 on the opening day at the Bhamashah Stadium in Meerut. Sarul Kanwar began in aggressive fashion after Punjab chose to bat, striking eight fours in his run-a-ball 42. However, after an opening stand worth 56, Praveen Kumar removed Kanwar and Ravi Inder Singh off successive overs, exposing Punjab’s middle order. Uday Kaul rebuilt in Yuvraj’s company, the pair raising 61 for the third wicket before a mini-collapse reduced Punjab to 143 for 5. Karan Goel rose to the occasion, and along with Vishwas Bhalla, lifted his side to respectability with a 72-run alliance. Piyush Chawla prised out Bhalla, but Harmeet Singh counterattacked with four fours and a six in his 29, taking Punjab to stumps along with Goel, who was unbeaten on 56.Gujarat‘s top order gave a good account of themselves without managing to dominate the Railways attack, leaving both sides on par at stumps on an attritional opening day at the Karnail Singh Stadium. Every Gujarat batsman got a start in a score of 234 for 4, but only one managed to reach fifty, while most bowlers gained respect without making enough entries in the wickets column. Jay Desai and Priyank Kirit Panchal ground out an opening stand of 58 in 28 overs before exiting on the same score. Niraj Patel and Parthiv Patel showed more urgency in a stand of 74, but both failed to kick on, as Gujarat found themselves unable to reap the rewards of solidity. That partnership, however, eased the pressure on the remaining batsmen. Bhavik Thaker, coming in at No. 5, did better than the top four, ensuring he crossed his half-century and remained unbeaten at stumps. His innings included two fours and a six off consecutive deliveries from Faiz Fazal. Debutant Pratharesh Parmar held up the other end with an undefeated 28 and the pair will want to push ahead on the second day. Parthiv praised his batsmen for their effort. “The wicket was green and two-paced,” he told the . “So, it was a challenge to play the first 30 overs and we did it.”Opening bowler Basanth Mohanty completed his sixth first-class five-wicket haul as Orissa bullied Baroda, reducing them to 99 for 9 on a curtailed day at the Barabati Stadium. After overnight rains delayed the start by half an hour, Orissa captain Shiv Sundar Das had no hesitation in bowling after winning the toss in damp, seamer-friendly conditions. Baroda’s batsmen, star players Yusuf Pathan and Ambati Rayudu included, had no answers against Basanth in an innings where only three batsmen managed to enter double-figures. Things could have been far worse for Baroda if not for Rakesh Solanki’s unbeaten 44. Debasis Mohanty, Alok Chandra Sahoo and Dhiraj Singh complemented Basanth’s efforts with a wicket apiece as Baroda derailed in shocking fashion.Himachal Pradesh‘s bowlers contained Haryana on the opening day, as the visitors crawled to 204 for 4 in Dharmasala. After choosing to field, the hosts started well, with seamer Jitendra Mehta removing Nitin Saini for five, but wickets were hard to come by after that. Rahul Dewan held vigil for 40 watchful overs, his 46 pushing the score to 88, before he perished against Ashok Thakur. Manav Sharma and Hemang Badani carried on in the same vein, their partnership of 74 spanning nearly 30 overs before Manav fell four short of his half-century. Badani brought up his 37th first-class fifty, and the first for Haryana, but more importantly, ensured he was unbeaten till the end.

Sri Lanka Cricket has informed the West Indies board that it is willing to postpone the five-match one-day series on account of the current spell of poor weather in Sri Lanka

Sa'adi Thawfeeq08-Dec-2010The boards of Sri Lanka and West Indies are in talks over postponing to January the five-match one-day series on account of the current spell of poor weather in Sri Lanka. The first two matches of the series were scheduled to be played on Thursday and Saturday at Hambantota, one of the new venues that will host 2011 World Cup games. But incessant rain has prevented the teams from holding any outdoor practice since arriving at the venue three days ago.A spokesman for Sri Lanka Cricket said both boards had tentatively agreed to call off the series and instead play a three-match series in late January. The Test series between the two sides was also hampered by rains and ended in a stalemate, leading Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara to term it as the worst series of his life.An official announcement is awaited, though West Indies opener Chris Gayle tweeted that the tour had been officially called off.

Every team will play the same number of league games – 14, seven home and seven away – as in previous seasons

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2011During the two-day long IPL auction in Bangalore, the BCCI announced the draw for the tournament’s 2011 season that begins on April 8. Every team will play the same number of league games (14, seven home and seven away) as in previous seasons with the following break-up: each team will play five other teams both home and away (10 matches), two teams only at home, and the remaining two teams only away. A random draw was used to decide who plays whom once and twice.

Rajasthan’s bowlers plugged away relentlessly at Baroda’s batsmen, and despite three half-centuries, the hosts were still trailing by 70 at stumps

The Bulletin by Abhishek Purohit at Moti Bagh13-Jan-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLegspinner Vivek Yadav was the pick of the bowlers for Rajasthan•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rajasthan’s bowlers plugged away relentlessly at Baroda’s batsmen, creating pressure through tight lines, and despite three half-centuries, the hosts were still trailing by 70 at stumps on the third day on a Moti Bagh wicket that played better than it did on Wednesday.Vivek Yadav persisted around off stump with his legbreaks, and though he did not get the sharp turn that the Baroda spinners had generated, his accuracy forced the inexperienced batsmen into mistakes. Jaykishan Kolsawala and Kedar Devdhar had begun positively, but Yadav came on in the eighth over of the day and the runs dried up. He bowled seven overs by the first drinks break, conceding just nine runs, and removed Kolsawala and Devdhar. They were harmless deliveries, but considering how the batsmen had been tied down, it was inevitable in a way that they succumbed to them. Kolsawala fished way outside off to a ball that was angled across him, and Devdhar looked to cut a half-tracker without much feet movement, and the inside edge rattled the stumps. Baroda had slipped from 110 for 1 to 113 for 3, and the onus was now on their big signing, Ambati Rayudu, to deliver.Rayudu was looking alright, and showed his class with two elegant cover-drives when the spinners pitched marginally fuller. But Deepak Chahar – who has been wearing a strap around his right arm throughout this game – came on six overs before lunch, and trapped Rayudu leg-before with his third delivery, which straightened after angling in on middle. It looked a marginal call, as Rayudu was struck on the thigh pad, but the fact that he was caught on the back foot, and was hit on the back leg, would have played on the umpire’s mind. Rayudu had been the beneficiary of a marginal decision a couple of overs ago, when Yadav hit the non-striker’s stumps from mid-on with the batsman struggling to make his ground. One replay showed his bat was just on the crease, while one from another angle showed Rayudu had just made his ground. The third umpire had then ruled in favour of Rayudu, but his eventual dismissal meant captain Pinal Shah was left alone to guide the remaining batsmen.Pinal fought back admirably in the company of Aditya Waghmode, who was playing his second first-class innings. Both didn’t make the mistake that Kolsawala and Devdhar had, and used their feet against the spinners to regularly pick up the singles. Waghmode was especially quick to put the loose deliveries away, flicking and slog-sweeping the spinners for boundaries. At the other end, Pinal was stepping out and lifting them over midwicket and long-on. The momentum seemed to be shifting as the pair added 90 runs at just under four an over, but Waghmode’s impatience after reaching his half-century brought about his downfall. He looked to whack Yadav through extra cover but was superbly snapped up by Hrishikesh Kanitkar, who dived to take a low catch.Rajasthan took the new ball, and the lower order needed to support Pinal, who was now looking to score off almost every delivery. But Swapnil Singh went for an injudicious pull off Pankaj Singh to be caught brilliantly by Vineet Saxena at extra-cover, who held on despite colliding with Yadav, running in from mid-off. Chahar was striving for impact from the other end, and getting some movement with the new ball. He soon removed Abhijit Karambelkar, and then got the big wicket of Pinal who walked across, looking to play the ball square, but was caught plumb in front.Murtuja Vahora and Sankalp Vohra showed the track did not hold much danger, with an unbeaten 36-run ninth-wicket stand, but Rajasthan need only two good deliveries tomorrow to take the lead, which could well prove decisive.

England’s injury crisis deepened as the team arrived in Perth ahead of the seventh and final ODI against Australia, as Paul Collingwood was officially ruled out of the series

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-2011England’s injury crisis deepened as the team arrived in Perth ahead of the seventh and final ODI against Australia, as Paul Collingwood was officially ruled out of the match following the back spasm that prevented him from bowling during Wednesday’s two-wicket defeat at the SCG. He will return to the UK immediately, but is expected to be fit for the start of the World Cup, with the team setting off for Bangladesh on February 12.”He had a back spasm so he couldn’t walk very well and he certainly couldn’t bowl,” Strauss said in the aftermath of the Sydney defeat. “At the moment we are a bit short on bowlers full stop.”Collingwood is the fifth member of England’s one-day squad to finish the series back in England, with Tim Bresnan (calf) and Graeme Swann (back) already in the country, and Ajmal Shahzad (hamstring) and Chris Tremlett (side) currently flying back from Sydney.Stuart Broad, who tore his abdominal muscle during the second Ashes Test in December, is back with the squad but is unlikely to be passed fit for the Perth ODI, which means Durham’s Liam Plunkett, a recent arrival from the Lions tour in the Caribbean, is a near-certain starter for a match in which Australia already hold a 5-1 series lead.Plunkett, who was a part of the England team that unexpectedly won the CB Series on their last tour of Australia in 2006-07, arrived in Perth on Tuesday following a 40-hour journey, but believed he would be fresh and ready for action if called upon for the match.”I went from St Kitts to Miami and then Miami to Heathrow. I was there for 10 hours so I had a sleep there and then went to Singapore and here,” Plunkett said. “But I’ve been here two nights now. I’ve had plenty of time to rest and slept on the plane thanks to some sleeping tablets.”With 28 ODIs to his name already, Plunkett offers greater experience than either of England’s recent debutants Steven Finn and Chris Woakes, who along with Jimmy Anderson are the only three fit seamers still remaining with the squad. However, his most recent outing was a one-off fixture against Bangladesh in Chittagong back in March, having not been selected since the visit of West Indies in 2007.”I was [surprised to get selected].” he admitted. “But I’ve got the call-up, I’m here and hopefully I will play. I’ve got fresh legs. I feel strong and confident in my bowling so hopefully it goes well and we’ll see what happens from there.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the World Cup game between Canada and Kenya

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit06-Mar-2011

Match Facts

March 7, Delhi

Start time 14:30 local time (09:00 GMT)
Ashish Bagai feels that Balaji Rao, the legspinner, will be crucial for Canada on the Kotla pitch•AFP

Big Picture

Canada and Kenya usually don’t go in to a World Cup game expecting to win, and certainly aren’t expected to do so by others. Tomorrow’s encounter provides an exception. Despite having misfired in several areas in their previous three games, both sides know they are expected to win this time. Having given Pakistan a scare in Colombo, Canada would feel they are slightly ahead going in to this one, but their bowlers were helped by the cloud cover that hung over the Premadasa. Chances of getting that kind of assistance in Delhi are slim.There is not much that separates the sides. In fact, they have a lot in common. Both have conceded 300-plus totals, and while that may be in keeping with the trend this tournament, they haven’t managed to bat themselves past 150 in a single game. Kenya looked to be on their way to do that against Sri Lanka, but were blown away by Lasith Malinga’s yorkers.Kenya would like to think they have the better pedigree, but Canada have displayed more spirit and gumption so far. Jimmy Kamande, Kenya’s captain, has instead had to deny reports of a rift between the coach Eldine Baptiste and some players. He has admitted it is difficult to keep motivating a side that has consistently under-performed.Given how little there is to choose between the two, the odds are that there might not be a familiar batting collapse at the least.

Form guide

(Most recent completed games first)
Canada LLLLW
Kenya LLLWL

Pitch and conditions

If it’s the Kotla, turn and low bounce cannot be that far. The spinners will like the surface. Imran Tahir and Pieter Seelaar certainly did, when South Africa and Netherlands played here. The weather is expected to be moderately warm by Delhi’s hot standards.

Watch out for…

Collins Obuya laboured to a half-century against Sri Lanka. That was what his team needed after a couple of early wickets had fallen. He should find it easier against Canada. He has been Kenya’s most prolific batsman of late, and possesses a game that can be altered depending on the situation.Balaji Rao enjoyed his battle against Pakistan’s heavyweight middle order, and snapped up Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal. The legspinner was unafraid to flight the ball, and though he went for some runs, he tested a line-up that plays spin very well. Kenya don’t, and Balaji will be itching to have a go.

Team news

Ashish Bagai has said that Parth Desai, the 20-year old left-arm spinner, could play tomorrow. That means one of the seamers could sit out. John Davison, the veteran opener, could also be back after a niggle made him miss the Pakistan game.Canada: (probable) 1 John Davison, 2 Nitish Kumar/Ruvindu Gunasekera, 3 Ashish Bagai (wk/capt), 4 Zubin Surkari, 5 Rizwan Cheema, 6 Jimmy Hansra, 7 Tyson Gordon, 8 Khurram Chohan, 9 Harvir Baidwan, 10 Balaji Rao, 11 Parth Desai.Kenya have no major injury concerns, and Thomas Odoyo should come back after missing the match against Sri Lanka.Kenya: (probable) 1 Maurice Ouma (wk), 2 Seren Waters, 3 Collins Obuya, 4 Steve Tikolo, 5 David Obuya, 6 Tanmay Mishra/Rakep Patel, 7 Thomas Odoyo, 8 Jimmy Kamande (capt), 9 Nehemiah Odhiambo, 10 Shem Ngoche, 11 Elijah Otieno..

Stats and trivia

• The Canada squad has scored a total of 4359 ODI runs. Steve Tikolo alone has made 3399.
• The sides have played against each other in 12 ODIs, Kenya winning seven of them, including their two encounters at the 2003 and 2007 World Cups.

Quotes

“This is our best chance of a win in the World Cup. If we get our batting right we should be competitive.”
.”I guarantee you tomorrow we are going to express much more than we did in the past matches.”
.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara praised his brittle middle-order batting for carrying his team to the final of the World Cup after they beat New Zealand

Sa'adi Thawfeeq30-Mar-2011Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara praised his brittle middle-order batting for carrying his team to the final of the World Cup after they beat New Zealand by five wickets in Colombo on Tuesday. Chasing New Zealand’s moderate total of 217, Sri Lanka were cruising to victory at 160 for 1 when a sudden top-order collapse – four wickets fell for 25 runs – left them looking vulnerable, before the experience of Thilan Samaraweera and the flair of Angelo Mathews (batting with a runner due to a thigh strain) saw Sri Lanka through.”The middle order won the match for us. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about,” an elated Sangakkara said. “I always said if you give them the opportunity they would deliver. They got it today in very tense circumstances. We are very happy what they’ve done.”Samaraweera and Mathews added 35 crucial runs for the sixth wicket to carry Sri Lanka to their second successive World Cup final. They will meet the winners of Wednesday’s second semi-final between India and Pakistan in the final on Saturday. Sangakkara blamed himself for not seeing Sri Lanka through to victory after the openers had got them off to a rapid start once again.”The responsibility should have been on me and [Tillakaratne] Dilshan. Dilhan did his job and I should have seen the match through. I played one shot too many and our dismissals put a lot of pressure on the middle order and they came out very well.”We got tensed in the end basically because Dilshan and I should have finished it off or got as close as possible at least to the 200 mark. We let that opportunity go and put the side under a bit of pressure. Dilshan batted brilliantly, he and Upul (Tharanga) gave us another great start. Upul was out to a fantastic catch by Jesse Ryder when he was batting beautifully.Sangakkara: The middle order won the match for us. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.•AFP

“My job was to hang around with Dilshan and build a partnership, but with two down and 60 runs to go on hindsight it was good for the middle order to show us what they can do as well. Thilan did exactly what was expected of him, Chamara Silva chipped in and Angelo Mathews as usual finished it up for us.”It was the second time in successive knockout matches that Sri Lanka had chased and won under lights. “We won two matches chasing because we lost the toss not because of anything else. If we had won the toss we would have batted first,” Sangakkara said. “Chasing and winning does a lot more for your confidence than batting first and defending because you got the bowling attack to defend. You just need to see off ourselves how well we do in a chase especially in two crunch games. I thought New Zealand adapted to the conditions a lot better.”They always have the variety to trouble us at home because they have the bits and pieces cricketers and quality spinners. But today the wicket was really great it didn’t take a huge amount of spin and actually the seam bowlers were a bit more difficult to attack than spin.”Reaching a World Cup final was the culmination of a long journey and careful planning, Sangakkara said. “We planned for it for over two years. We missed a great opportunity in 2007. Ours was to recreate those opportunities in 2011 and to be there is very special for us. If we had not won the World Cup in 1996 we wouldn’t have come to this level. We must thank players like Murali [Muralitharan], Vaasy [Chaminda Vaas], Sanath [Sanath Jayasuriya], Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna [Ranatunga].”From that winning side only one member is with us and that is Murali. The amount of input he has given to us we cannot measure. If you take his bowling and his character he has played a big part in our cricket. Not only the players but the rest of Sri Lanka look at him as someone special.”The game was Muralitharan’s final appearance in an ODI at home and he was rightfully given a lap of honour at the end of the match. “It was a bit emotional because it was the last game we were playing in front of our home crowd. The next match is not going to be here. It was a very special moment for us and even more so because it is the last time Murali will ever play an ODI. When the magnitude of that occasion hits you it kind of overwhelms you.”In his farewell Test against India last year, Muralitharan took his 800th wicket with the last ball he bowled in Test cricket. Against New Zealand, he again took a wicket off the final ball he bowled in his final ODI appearance at home.”The good thing about Murali is he has no ego and he is a great team man,” Sangakarra said. “Why these kind of fairytale endings keep happening to him is because he is a great human being. He has a great heart, he is an honest hardworking guy and he has no pretenses about it. When he is such a nice guy good things happen to him.”Looking ahead at the final on Saturday, Sangakkara said, “Kicking off from here it is easy to get carried away. We won a semi-final but we haven’t won a final. We are in the final, we need to keep our heads down and keep playing good cricket. There is a lot of work to do in the next three days to play in the biggest match of our lives.”It means a great deal especially in a new future that is envisioned for Sri Lanka. For us to be in this position, to host a World Cup and for the Sri Lankan team to get into a final it bodes well for the future of our country. Cricket’s always been the panacea that’s healed all wounds in Sri Lanka. Whenever cricket is played it seems as if life was back to normal. We carry that responsible job and it has been with us whenever we played. We understand the gravity of work but we also understand what privilege it is to be able to represent our country.”Every single match we play is for our country. What people outside don’t see is the greatest pride we have when we don our national colours. You go to the dressing room and there is a national flag with every player above their seat before we go out to play.”

Zimbabwe spinner Ray Price has joined Mumbai Indians’ squad in the Indian Premier League

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-2011Zimbabwe spinner Ray Price has joined the Mumbai Indians squad for the remainder of the 2011 IPL season as a replacement for Australian allrounder Moises Henriques, who did not travel to India after having surgery in March for an adductor muscle injury.Price was unsold at the original IPL player auction in January and Mumbai have now bought him at his reserve price of $50,000. He joined the squad a day before their eight-run win over Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium.Price was Zimbabwe’s leading wicket-taker during the World Cup with nine wickets at an average of 18.77 and economy-rate of 3.44. He becomes the second Zimbabwean to be involved with the IPL after Tatenda Taibu, who was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad in the first season of the tournament.Price has built a reputation as a canny and bellicose limited-overs bowler and has risen to second place in the ICC’s ODI bowler rankings after his performance at the World Cup. “Obviously you learn more as you get older and I think that has been the case with me and I’m very happy with the way things have been going for me at the moment,” he had told after regaining the No. 2 spot.”When I started playing international cricket, one of my goals was to finish at the top and being ranked No. 2 in the world is nice but my goal now is to move up to No. 1. The busier season ahead will be a good opportunity for us to do well against the top-ranked teams and we have some time to prepare for that.”In addition to Zimbabwe’s upcoming series against Bangladesh, Australia A and Pakistan, Price has an IPL stint in which to hone his skills.

Japan’s captain Masaomi Kobayshi looks ahead to the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 7 that begins in Botswana next week

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Apr-2011How has the side been preparing for WCL Div. 7?
We have been looking forward to this tournament since the completion of our previous tournament in Guernsey in 2009. We have undergone regular camps and established high standard domestic competitions to develop the players as a group and as individuals. The squad was narrowed down in January, and we have had two camps a month and individual training on other weekends. Unfortunately, as a result of the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11 this year, we were not able to have our scheduled camps or overseas tour that month. However, in April, we have been able to hold our scheduled camps and I believe that this is the best prepared that we have been for an international tournament. I’m delighted that we will compete at the tournament at our best. We have improved individually and as a group in fitness, technique, and tactically and we are all very much looking forward to the tournament.What do you know about the conditions in Gaborone and do you think your side will be well suited to those conditions?
We understand the pitches are permanent hard wickets, which is what we are used to playing on in Japan. We also understand that the altitude is extremely high which is why we have been working hard on our fitness levels. We will be learning more about the conditions when we arrive, but this will not change how we want to play. Whatever the conditions, we will just believe in ourselves, express ourselves and play to the best of our abilities.There are only four expatriate players in the Japan side while the rest are all native Japanese – how does your development programme work to have such a strong native Japanese element?
In the last 10 years, Japanese cricket has come a long way. New grounds, sponsors, junior development initiatives, and better coaches have all contributed to the development of cricket in Japan. The JCA has worked very hard for its fantastic achievements and that has inspired the players to work hard at training and performing well at tournaments. Encouraging youngsters to take up the sport as well as excellent coaches and improved facilities have contributed to our development and we are seeing players such as Raheel Kano who is amongst the first generation of players coming through the whole participation pathway established 10 years ago. The new generation of young talented players have created a dynamic team environment and we are all very excited get out onto the field and play.Who are the players to watch in your side for this event? We`ve heard good things about Raheel Kano from the U19s, what does he bring to the side?
Yes Raheel is an exciting young leg spinner who has come through the participation programme. Like the other youngsters in the team he plays the game in an exciting way and expresses himself out on the field which is great. A number of youngsters have come into the side in recent times and have gelled really well with the experienced players. However, I believe that we are a well balanced team where everyone contributes, all 14 players and team management. Team work has been an essential weapon for us. Japan is not a team of one star player, but of a great group of players who are proud to represent their country, play as hard as they can, and bring the best out of each other.You`ve obviously faced Nigeria before but what is your knowledge of the other sides in the tournament and have you played any of them recently?
We played Norway and Nigeria in the World Cricket League Division 5 in 2008. Our match against Botswana in that tournament was washed out, but we did see them play. We have heard about Germany and Kuwait from the Vanuatu players who played them in Division 8. All countries have good teams, but we will concentrate on our game plan and do our best.Finally, the JCA have set up `Cricket for Smiles` – can you tell us a little bit about this initiative and also about what it means to you as a captain of the national cricket team and its importance?
As a group we were all upset and touched by the events of 11 March. Some of our players had family in the area and it was a very emotional time for them. We wanted to do something as a group and as an organisation to contribute to the people of the Sendai region in a positive way. A lot of schools have been wiped out and the kids involved have nothing. The idea of the initiative is to introduce cricket to over 200 schools that have been badly affected and provide them with cricket equipment.It is upsetting to watch your county men struggle at a time like this and if we can help in anyway and use cricket to allow the children to smile again then I think it is great! We are looking for sponsorship for `Cricket for Smiles` and your support would be greatly appreciated. For more information of how to donate to this worthy cause log in online www.cricket.or.jp/cricketforsmilesAll sports people dream to represent their country in their chosen sport and I was no different. The fact that I am now seen as a leader is even better. I am lucky enough to have done it before and every time I walk out onto the field as captain of Japan is a special moment for me.