Ryan Harris, the Kings XI Punjab fast bowler, has returned to Australia from the IPL after being diagnosed with an Achilles tendon injury

Amol Karhadkar25-Apr-2013Ryan Harris, the Kings XI Punjab fast bowler, has returned to Australia from the IPL after being diagnosed with an Achilles tendon injury. Harris left India on Tuesday, the night before he was named in Australia’s squad for the Ashes in England this summer.Harris, 33, had played in Kings XI’s first three games of the season before sustaining the injury. Once the nature of his injury was ascertained the Kings XI management, in consultation with Cricket Australia’s medical team, deemed it fit for Harris to return to Australia.If Harris’ rehabilitation goes as planned, he could recover well in time for the Ashes. “Harris has been ruled out for six to eight weeks, so it was best for him to be released and recover at home,” Arvinder Singh, the Kings XI chief operating officer, told ESPNcricinfo. “We will name his replacement in a day or two.”Harris has a history of injuries and this latest setback is unlikely to go down well in Australia. After missing most of the domestic season, Harris had recovered in time play three Sheffield Shield games. His haul of 19 wickets in those matches for Queensland earned him a place in the Ashes squad, which is being touted as Australia’s weakest since the 1980s.

Jyotiraditya Scindia has said N Srinivasan must step down in the wake of his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan’s alleged involvement in betting, for which he has been arrested

ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-2013Jyotiraditya Scindia, a member of the BCCI and of its disciplinary committee, has said board president N Srinivasan must step down following the arrest of his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan on charges of betting. Early this week, Punjab Cricket Association president IS Bindra publicly called for Srinivasan’s resignation, undermining the latter’s assertion that the entire board was united behind him.”Let me say this that I am not assuming or saying that anyone is guilty. But considering the environment that is around cricket today, considering the fact that we do need to cleanse the sport in every single meaning of the word, I do believe that it would be in the fitness of things if Mr. Srinivasan did step aside until this matter reached a conclusive end in terms of an inquiry,” Scindia, president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association and a federal minister, told the television channel .”If he and his family members, or rather his son-in-law, is absolved then surely he can come back. But considering the environment that cricket is in today, I do think that if you combine the fact of a conflict of interest and his own family member being involved in an ongoing investigation, it is in the fitness of things and more from a spirit point of view and propriety point of view, I do believe that he should step aside.”Scindia’s statement was the first from any of the politicians – including some of the country’s most high-profile leaders – who sit on the BCCI to criticize Srinivasan’s stand. It came amid growing public outrage over silence within the BCCI leadership over questions relating to Srinivasan’s apparently conflicted position on the issue. It came on a day when Kirti Azad, a BJP member of parliament, and a senior official of the Communist Party both criticized the board’s silence. Scindia is also the president of the state association to which Sanjay Jagdale, the BCCI secretary, belongs.Scindia said the issue of Gurunath’s exact role in Super Kings wasn’t relevant to the issue of his father-in-law’s continuance in office. “There’s a committee that’s going to be set up that’s going to look into this, I don’t believe that the nitty-gritty is important at this point of time. I believe propriety is important and, in the sense of propriety, I do believe that he should step down. I do believe he should step down, not only for himself but also for Chennai Super Kings and for the spirit of cricket per se.”Asked whether the BCCI was planning to follow an alternative route to convince Srinivasan to step down, Scindia replied by saying it’s what he would have done if he were in that situation. “The fact that he has not done so, I think it is time now for BCCI as a collective to see what the future course of action should be. In the fitness of things one should step aside, whether or not we believe we are guilty or not. If we are not guilty, then we will surely be reinstated. That example has to come from the top.”On a similar theme, he said that “a fair share” of the responsibility to clean up cricket lay with the BCCI. “I believe we must take the assistance of other stakeholders on board to ensure that such incidents don’t recur, and there is a very strict – and strictly enforced – due process.”On Sunday, Bindra, a former BCCI president himself, was unambiguous in his stand.”I demand that he should step down from the BCCI President’s position forthwith and not cause anymore damage to Indian cricket,” Bindra said. “His statement in Mumbai is shocking. It shows that he has not learnt anything from this episode. He continues to remain defiant as if nothing has happened.”

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has underscored the spunk in Sri Lanka’s Champions Trophy campaign, and marked their spirit a vital asset as they attempt to topple India, who have been the form team of the competition

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Cardiff19-Jun-2013Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has underscored the spunk in Sri Lanka’s Champions Trophy campaign, and marked their spirit a vital asset as they attempt to topple India, who have been the form team of the competition. Sri Lanka did not arrive in England as one of the favourites, but are now set to play their sixth semi-final in the last eight global tournaments.Their two victories, over England and Australia, have ultimately been comfortable, but there were tense moments in both matches, where things might have easily gone awry for Sri Lanka. England set Sri Lanka 294 at The Oval, thanks in part to a 28-run final over. Sri Lanka rode down their target in the 48th over, thanks largely to an unbeaten 134 from Kumar Sangakkara, but also to Nuwan Kulasekara’s 58 from 38, which made light work of a challenging required run rate.The victory against Australia was no less dramatic. Mahela Jayawardene’s 81-ball 84 first saw the side overcome the loss of two wickets inside the first four overs, and later, it took a stunning Tillakaratne Dilshan return take to end a 41-run last wicket stand that had brought substantial anxiety in a must-win match. The closest game of the lot was the one-wicket loss against New Zealand, which might have turned Sri Lanka’s way if all the umpiring decisions late in the match had been correct.”Especially after the New Zealand game, we had to do it the hard way,” Mathews said. “We had to beat England in English conditions and also the Australians, who have played well recently. All three games went down to the wire, and we had to fight really hard to win. The team confidence is very high. We know that we are a fighting team, and we fight to the last moment. Hopefully we can once again have a good performance.”Sri Lanka have relied on their three experienced batsmen so far in the tournament, with Sangakkara, Dilshan and Jayawardene topping the run-scoring lists for the side. Only Lahiru Thirimanne among the other batsmen has a half-century to his name, but Mathews was confident Sri Lanka’s batting order was not top-heavy.”I would say Mahela and Sanga are the backbone of the batting line-up, but we’ve got a few youngsters in Dinesh Chandimal, Thirimanne who can take the bowling apart,” he said. “We are not just depending on certain people in the team because all seven are good batters. Whoever gets set on that day has to continue for a long spell and try and get the team into a good total.”Sri Lanka have faced India regularly in ODIs in the last three years, but have not fared well in comparison to their exploits against other teams. Since 2010, Sri Lanka have lost 12 matches and won only eight, with one game having ended in a tie. Part of the reason for that record has been spearhead Lasith Malinga’s poor form against India, which some Indian batsmen have credited to their familiarity with his bowling in the IPL. Malinga has not trained with the team on days immediately preceding matches during the tournament, but ahead of the semi-final, he sent down several overs in the nets as well as doing specialised work with bowling coach Chaminda Vaas. Mathews said the extra effort was due to desire on Malinga’s part to overcome an average of 40.88 – his worst against any team.”Lasith takes every game seriously, but it’s just that he wants to do a little bit more for tomorrow,” Mathews said. “We play against India a lot, as well, not only in the IPL. Whoever is playing against anyone all the time gets used to them. Lasith is a very good bowler and he’s an experienced bowler and I’m sure he will come into those situations and have a few different ideas for tomorrow.”

Gareth Batty will miss the Friends Life t20 Finals Day after being handed a two-match suspension following the on-pitch spat with Peter Trego during Surrey’s quarter-final against Somerset at The Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2013Gareth Batty will miss Friends Life t20 Finals Day after being handed a two-match suspension for “appalling” behaviour following the on-pitch spat with Peter Trego during Surrey’s quarter-final against Somerset at The Oval.Batty, the Surrey captain, was found guilty of two level two breaches of the ECB’s code of conduction relating to “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact” and “using language or a gesture that is obscene or of a serious insulting nature”.It means Surrey will be without their captain and frontline one-day spinner for Finals Day on August 17 at Edgbaston, where they have been drawn to face the holders, Hampshire, in the semi-finals. Batty was already fulfilling the captaincy role on an interim basis following the injury that ruled Graeme Smith out for the season and Surrey will now have to scour the team for another leader. Steven Davies and Vikram Solanki are likely to be the leading candidates.The incident in the quarter-final occurred when Trego was bowled by Batty and began walking back to the pavilion, which took him towards Surrey’s celebrating players. Batty was then seen to shove Trego while also mouthing obscenities towards him.Gerard Elias QC, the chairman of the cricket discipline commission (CDC), described Batty’s behaviour as “appalling” and said he did consider whether further action should be taken along with the immediate suspension but decided not to refer the matter to a disciplinary panel.Elias said: “This was a high profile televised match with much at stake for both sides. In these circumstances, the Cricket Discipline Commission expects players to have regard to the image of the game and their place as role models, and to control their emotions accordingly.”Gareth Batty was not merely a player but was the Surrey captain. His conduct as such was appalling. Not only was he involved in deliberately and inappropriately physically confronting a batsman he had just dismissed, he subsequently engaged in a foul-mouthed tirade at the batsman.”Plainly, he acted contrary to the spirit of the game and in a way which brings cricket into disrepute and failed to set the leadership example expected.”The ECB statement continued: “The CDC takes this opportunity to remind players and captains of their duties and responsibilities as ambassadors for the game. So called ‘high pressure’ matches will not be regarded as any excuse for playing the game other than in accordance with the discipline regulations and in the proper spirit.”The penalty for a first level two offence is three points and the penalty for a second level two offence within 24 months is six points. Batty has therefore received a total of nine penalty points, triggering an automatic suspension for a period of two matches. This penalty will remain on his record for a period of two years.

Chris Wood’s first half-century of the season ensured Hampshire escaped with a draw and left Glamorgan still looking for their second win in the County Championship this term.

05-Aug-2013
ScorecardNeil McKenzie shared in a healthy partnership that secured the draw•Getty Images

Chris Wood’s first half-century of the season ensured Hampshire escaped with a draw and left Glamorgan still looking for their second win in the County Championship this term.Rain meant only 39 overs were possible, during which time Hampshire overcame a 14-run deficit, built a lead of 108 and in the process lost two wickets. A draw was inevitable as the home side closed on 237 for 4 at Southampton.The result did neither side any good since Glamorgan’s 11-point haul left them still in the bottom two while Hampshire’s promotion hopes receded further with their eight-point return. In addition neither could blame the Ageas Bowl pitch which offered some help to the seam bowlers on the first day, as it often does, but flattened out over the course of the match.Hampshire began the last day on 115 for 2 from 41 overs, still 14 behind and with Glamorgan in urgent need of early wickets before the threatened rain arrived. They did not get them. Liam Dawson and nightwatchman Wood took root as Hampshire required 46 overs to finally clear the deficit.There was still marginal hope for Glamorgan when Dawson was run out for 42 in the 52nd over when Hampshire led by only 40 but they quickly died when the powerful-driving Wood was joined by Neil McKenzie. Wood and McKenzie added another 95 in 29 overs for the fourth wicket as the match limped to a tame conclusion.The 23-year-old Wood made an aggressive 69 which included three successive fours off Graham Wagg but in Wagg’s next over he mis-hooked to Michael Hogan at slip. Wood’s 69 included nine fours and came off 139 balls and at the fall of his wicket, the rain came down to force the draw. McKenzie was 35 not out when stumps were drawn.Glamorgan captain Mark Wallace used eight bowlers in an increasingly desperate attempt to force a breakthrough and the most successful of those was Wagg who finished with 2 for 20.

Worcestershire kept their slim hopes of promotion alive with a nine-wicket victory against bottom-of-the-table Leicestershire in their Championship clash at Grace Road

31-Aug-2013
ScorecardMatt Pardoe finished unbeaten on 76 as Worcestershire completed a comfortable chase•PA Photos

Worcestershire kept their slim hopes of promotion alive with a nine-wicket victory against bottom-of-the-table Leicestershire in their Championship clash at Grace Road. After dismissing the home side for 248 in the last over before lunch, Worcestershire reached their target of 185 in 45.1 overs to claim their fourth win of the season.It earned them 22 points but they still trail second-placed Northamptonshire by 45 points with three games to play.Matthew Pardoe and Moeen Ali both hit half-centuries and shared an unbroken second-wicket stand of 123 to see Worcestershire home after Daryl Mitchell was bowled by Matthew Hoggard for 35.Worcestershire were 112 for 1 at tea but Pardoe and Moeen unleashed a barrage of boundaries on the resumption, scoring 73 runs in 13.1 overs. Pardew finished on 76 not out off 126 balls with 12 fours, while Moeen faced 76 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 63.The only bright spot for Leicestershire, who have not won a game in the Championship this season, was a second century in the match for Ned Eckersley. He followed up his first-innings 106 with 119 second time around before being bowled by Jack Shantry. Eckersley faced 224 balls and hit 14 fours to become the first man to score two centuries in a game for Leicestershire since Brad Hodge did it in 2004.Leicestershire, resuming at 190 for 6, added 58 runs for the last four wickets in 28.2 overs. It took Eckersley half an hour to score the runs he needed for his century, which came with a leg glance to the boundary off Alan Richardson.James Sykes was then trapped lbw by Richardson for 32 to end a stand of 92 for the seventh wicket and the end came quickly after that. Shantry had Ollie Freckingham caught at cover before bowling Eckersley off an inside edge and Hoggard was pinned lbw to Shaaiq Choudhry with the last ball before lunch.

A strong batting display from Ireland, followed by an incisive spell of 4 for 32 from Max Sorensen left the hosts on the cusp of victory against Scotland in their Intercontinental Cup match in Dublin

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2013

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMax Sorensen bowled a 10-over first spell that yielded four wickets•ICC/John Boomer

A strong batting display from Ireland, followed by an incisive spell of 4 for 32 from right-arm seamer Max Sorensen left the hosts on the cusp of a comprehensive victory against Scotland in their Intercontinental Cup match in Dublin.Sorensen, who picked up three wickets against Scotland in a World Cricket League Championship game last Sunday, dismissed Hamish Gardiner and Freddie Coleman in the third over. Preston Mommsen and Calum MacLeod also fell victim to Sorensen’s first spell as Scotland slumped to 27 for 4 in the 11th over.It became 64 for 7 before No. 9 Safyaan Sharif manned a rearguard action for the second time in the match. He added 79 runs with Majid Haq during an eighth-wicket stand that lasted 26 overs. Sharif recorded his maiden first-class half-century but lost his wicket off what became the last ball of the day, leaving Scotland at 143 for 8, and needing another 69 runs to avoid an innings defeat.Despite rain wiping out most of day two, Ireland’s batsmen put up a solid performance as Paul Stirling composed a 101-ball 65 that included 11 fours, and together with John Anderson, added 92 for the second wicket to take Ireland beyond Scotland’s first-innings score of 139. Anderson played the ideal foil for Stirling, picking up a fifty himself, which included five fours.But Stirling threw his wicket away, pulling straight to deep mid wicket off seamer Alasdair Evans and Legspinner Moneeb Iqbal dismissed Anderson for 56 off just his second delivery.With two new batsmen at the crease, Scotland might have sensed the tide changing, but Andrew White and Kevin O’Brien put up a 52-run stand for the fourth wicket and then, when Iqbal and Haq removed the pair in quick succession, Andrew Balbirnie and Stuart Poynter contributed 62 runs for the sixth wicket to increase Ireland’s lead.Iqbal and Haq took four wickets each, but were unable to curtail the flow of runs from the Ireland batsmen, who together struck a total of 43 fours and four sixes in the innings to build a lead of 212.

Karun Nair’s first time at No. 3 this season helped him break away from an inconsistent run and he credited giving himself the time to get in was the reason for his match-winning half-century

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2015Karun Nair has been a floater in the Rajasthan Royals batting line-up and had had a highest score of 25 prior coming into their home game against Delhi Daredevils in Mumbai. But pushed up to No. 3 for the first time in the season, he produced a rapid, match-winning half-century that he credited to taking the time to play himself in.”I told myself at the beginning of the innings I should just play run-a-ball and look for the odd boundary,” he told , “I gave myself time in the first ten to fifteen balls and from then on I decided to go for the big shots. I am not a powerful hitter, but I can hit the ball for a six. A six doesn’t necessarily need to go out of the ground, it has to just clear the fence and I think I can do it easily.”His 61 off 38 balls was part of a 113-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane at a run-rate of 9.82. Nair said the gameplan had been to take the game deep and set things up for their finishers.”We spoke about running hard between the wickets and then getting the odd boundary and play normal cricket shots,” Nair said. “We wanted to take the game as deep as possible because we have good hitters in our side. We did that really well. The plan was to get ten runs in every over after the time out and target 170 at the end of 20 overs. Anything more than that was always meant to be a bonus. One boundary an over was what was discussed in the meeting.”His team-mate James Faulkner also had a successful outing, picking up 2 for 22 in conditions that helped fast bowlers at Brabourne stadium, where Royals had had a camp prior to the start of the tournament.”There was a fair bit of assistance with the new ball and you had to bash it into the wicket. There was a fair bit of seam. But that is T20 cricket; you get flat tracks where you don’t get much swing or spin, but then you have tracks that turn a long way. This one had a bit of seam tonight and had good carry which was great. I think that is what everyone likes, different challenges every single time.”Faulkner was making a return to the XI after missing the game against Mumbai Indians last Friday and spoke about the demands on an foreign player in the IPL.”I missed out on the last game since we decided to give Rusty Theron a go,” Faulkner said. “Tonight I came back into the side. That is how the format works. There is always a lot of class sitting on the bench.”It doesn’t matter if you are there from the start or join halfway through, you are always expected to put up your best. You are an overseas player at the end of the day, and looked at to bring something unique to the table. Once you play international cricket, there is always going to be expectations from you in any Twenty20 league. Every overseas player is used to that.”

Ravi Shastri has been named India’s team director for the upcoming tour to Bangladesh, while Sanjay Bangar, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar will continue as assistant coaches for the tour

Amol Karhadkar02-Jun-2015Ravi Shastri has been named India’s team director for the upcoming tour to Bangladesh, while Sanjay Bangar, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar will continue as assistant coaches for the tour. However, the long-term coaching appointments are likely to be finalised in consultation with the cricket advisory committee before India’s tour to Zimbabwe in July.The appointments, announced by the BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, meant the only name missing from India’s coaching staff from the World Cup was Duncan Fletcher’s, whose contract has ended.Shastri is understood to have been interested in a long-term position, either as head coach or team director but for now, he has agreed for the short-term assignment of one Test and three ODIs in Bangladesh.Since the BCCI didn’t want to rope in new appointees for the short tour, the three specialist coaches were also retained. One of the three is in danger of losing his post after the Bangladesh series.Meanwhile, the high-profile cricket advisory committee is likely to meet in Kolkata on June 6 to spell out the procedure for appointing the head coach or team director. Besides Shastri, the BCCI is believed to have been in touch with former Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody and Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach Daniel Vettori.While Moody is understood to have been recommended by VVS Laxman, his colleague at Sunrisers Hyderabad, Vettori has been recommended by Test captain Kohli.Shastri had been named director of cricket after India’s poor performance in the Test series in England last year and the BCCI had appointed Bangar, Arun and Sridhar as assistant coaches at the same time. Their tenures with the Indian team were then extended until the end of the 2015 World Cup.

Steven Croft’s career best, backed up by a blitz from James Faulkner, was too much at Old Trafford for Derbyshire, who have now won only one of their first six matches

ECB/PA12-Jun-2015
ScorecardSteven Croft’s career best sustained Lancashire•Getty Images

Steven Croft hit a spectacular career best 94 not out as Lancashire secured a comprehensive 67-run NatWest T20 Blast win over Derbyshire Falcons at Emirates Old Trafford, leaving Derbyshire with just one win to show for their six matches.The Lightning’s captain smashed nine fours and two sixes in a 51-ball assault to underpin 201 for 3 after they had been in bother at 62 for 3 after ten overs.Croft shared a county record fourth-wicket partnership of 151 unbroken off 80 balls with Australian James Faulkner, who finished 47 not out off 30 with three sixes and two fours.The Lightning then bowled the Falcons out for 134 to complete a third win from five North Division matches and a second on the spin after last week’s victory over Yorkshire at Headingley, which was inspired by Jos Buttler.Croft and Faulkner struck once apiece with the ball, but left-arm spinner Stephen Parry finished with 4 for 16 from his three overs.

Insights

It was difficult to fancy Derbyshire going into this game. They had lost 11 consecutive away T20s and seven of eight against Lancashire. They lost this one – among other reasons – because they were undisciplined at the death. Eighteen in the extras column – a penultimate over including two wides and the six no balls courtesy of Rimmington’s full toss to Faulkner and the five wides White served up in the last – is criminal. – Will Macpherson

This was a Buttleresque display of power hitting from Croft, especially, after the visitors had elected to bowl, although minus Buttler’s trademark reverse sweeps and scoops.Ashwell Prince, Karl Brown and Liam Livingstone all fell inside the first eight overs to Wayne White, Tony Palladino and Wes Durston, leaving the score at 50 for 3.Lancashire went 37 balls without a boundary from the end of the sixth over to the start of the 13th, but Croft and Faulkner hit eleven fours and five sixes in the last eight overs.Twenty one runs came off Palladino in the 13th over before 29 came off Nathan Rimmington in the 19th, including two sixes and six no balls courtesy of a head high full toss at Faulkner which went for four.White then conceded 20 off the last of his former county’s inningsThe Faulkner and Croft alliance continued as Derbyshire made a forgettable start to their reply as Durston edged the Australian left-armer’s second ball of the innings to Croft at slip to leave the score at 1 for 1.Tillakaratne Dilshan top-edged Tom Bailey behind for a brisk 21 – 44 for two in the seventh.The Falcons reached halfway at 79 for 2 with Chesney Hughes unbeaten on 39, but he miscued Aaron Lilley’s off-spin to long-on with the first ball of the eleventh.Bailey bowled Billy Godleman with 99 on the board in the 13th and although the visitors were still ahead on runs in comparison to the first innings, their chances were disappearing.Croft picked up his wicket when Wayne Madsen reverse swept his off-spinners to backward point in the next, leaving the score at 105 for 5.Parry struck to get Scott Elstone and Tom Poynton caught at long-on in the 16th – 117 for 7 – before trapping Shiv Thakor lbw and getting White caught at point in his next.Debutant quick Saqib Mahmood wrapped up the win by getting Palladino caught behind with ten balls unused.