England duly wrapped up a comfortable 24-run victory to take a 1-0 lead in their five-match ODI series against Pakistan at Chester-le-Street

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan at Chester-le-Street10-Sep-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJonathan Trott guided England’s innings after Steve Davies sparkled at the top•Getty Images

England’s winning momentum showed no signs of abating as they took the opening one-day international at Chester-le-Street by 24 runs, but at least they were made to work a little harder by Pakistan. Steve Davies led the batting effort with a powerful 87 off 67 balls, his first international half-century, and was backed up by a composed 69 from Jonathan Trott as England piled up 274 for 6 in a match reduced to 41 overs by a wet outfield. For once the visitors’ batting didn’t implode as some spirited contributions kept them alive but they couldn’t find the major stand required.There are 12 ODIs between now and the start of the World Cup for England to finalise their plans but conditions in Durham during early September are a million miles away from anything they’ll face in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. However, this is a strong one-day unit being put into place and one of the few areas still containing some uncertainty, the wicketkeeper-opening batsman, was a success here with Davies’ impressive effort.His only previous ODI came as an emergency replacement for Matt Prior at last year’s Champions Trophy when he faced Australia in the semi-final at Centurion. Here he timed the ball beautifully all around the wicket and was especially strong square through the off side whenever he was offered width during a lively 37-ball fifty. Unlike Craig Kieswetter, who often looked hyperactive at the crease and lost control of his shots, Davies remained still and composed until he fell cutting at Saeed Ajmal.In their current frame of mind it would have taken a monumental effort from Pakistan to chase down the runs, but they at least gave themselves half a chance. Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal added 62 for the first wicket, Pakistan’s best opening stand in any international since the Headingley Test against Australia, before Graeme Swann’s usual party trick of a first over wicket when Hafeez was well caught at deep-square leg.Despite all the allegations circulating in recent weeks players have insisted the matches will be played in the right spirit, but for a moment tensions nearly boiled over during Stuart Broad’s second over. Kamran pulled out of his stance and pointed angrily towards Trott at mid-on then Andrew Strauss became involved before Billy Doctrove stepped in. The heated moment appeared to pass by the end of the over, but feelings were clearly running fairly high.England’s fielding wasn’t quite at its best as Kamran was given two lives in two balls when he was missed by Strauss at point and Trott at long-off. This time the home side had breathing space, but Andy Flower and Richard Halsall, the fielding coach, will have noted the errors.
Michael Yardy reasserted England’s control when he had Mohammad Yousuf lbw coming too far across the crease and Swann won his duel against Kamran when the wicketkeeper couldn’t clear long off having made his first half-century of the tour.Umar Akmal hit 43 off 33 balls before trying to scooping Broad over the keeper and Asad Shafiq showed some spirit as he clubbed Tim Bresnan for four boundaries. But Shahid Afridi could barely middle the ball during a painful 25-ball innings and when he carved to cover it really was the end for Pakistan’s slim chances.It was England’s efficient batting display which set up the victory and they’d been led off in style as the new opening duo of Davies and Strauss who added 78 in 12 overs. Mohammad Irfan’s much-anticipated introduction into international cricket didn’t quite go to plan as his first over was dispatched for 15. However, it was still a touch harsh when he was whipped out of the attack after one over and his replacement, Umar Gul, didn’t do any better as his two-over burst cost 22 and he finished with 67 off six overs.Shoaib Akhtar was the only paceman to offer any control and was unlucky not to claim success in an opening five-over burst that cost just nine runs. He received very little support, however, and despite his parsimonious efforts England had 63 on the board at the end of his opening spell. Davies was dropped at short cover on 21 when Afridi could hold a stinging drive and Strauss continued to show impressive intent – no doubt aware that scoring heavily off the spinners will be key in the World Cup – as he launched Ajmal over long-on for his second six, Ajmal, though, claimed revenge when Strauss missed a mighty sweep and he was given a send-off by the bowler for his troubles.With Trott playing himself in and working the ball for ones and twos the onus was on Davies to keep the tempo high which he did successfully until he tried to cut Ajmal 13 short of his hundred.
Pakistan were unlucky not to strike again shortly afterwards when Doctrove failed to spot Trott’s edge off Ajmal on 26 and then lost the services of Irfan who limped off midway through his sixth over.Paul Collingwood fell trying to take advantage of the batting Powerplay and Eoin Morgan edged a cut off Afridi, but Trott registered his first boundary off his 54th delivery when he back-cut Shoaib.Trott then brought up his fifty from 64 balls and immediately stepped on the gas with the confidence of a man who is in the form of his life. A few lusty blows from Ravi Bopara ensured the momentum was all England’s and they never really looked liked losing. It says everything about the last two weeks that there was even a sense of gratefulness just for something resembling a contest.

Stuart Broad believes that the off-field issues that he and his England team-mates had to overcome in the course of a tumultuous 2010 season will stand them in good stead as they brace themselves for the unique pressures of an Ashes tour of Australia

Andrew Miller27-Oct-2010Stuart Broad believes that the off-field issues that he and his England team-mates had to overcome in the course of a tumultuous 2010 season will stand them in good stead as they prepare for the unique pressures of an Ashes tour of Australia. England depart for Perth on Friday morning brimful of confidence following an 18-month run of success at all levels of international cricket, having come through an exacting test of character during the match-fixing furore that marred their home series against Pakistan.”It’s been a tough summer, but when I look back at the cricket side of things, it’s been one of my most enjoyable with the England team,” Broad told ESPNcricinfo’s Switch Hit podcast during a NatWest CricketForce event in Nottingham. “We had to deal with a huge amount of off-the-field controversies, and we showed that when it came to it, we could focus on our cricket and perform well. We know that on a tour of Australia there’s going to be a lot of outside interest, and a lot of things going off off the field, but we’ve shown this summer that we can focus on what we need to do on the pitch when the time comes.”England’s new-found will to win was best epitomised by their victory in the final ODI of the summer, at the Rose Bowl in September. Pakistan had come back from 2-0 down to square the series against an England side reeling from the now-discredited claims from the PCB chairman, Ijaz Butt, that they had accepted a bribe to lose the third match at The Oval. In a tense contest, Broad took 3 for 25 in eight overs to help secure a 121-run victory, and cue euphoric scenes at the end of an arduous campaign.”The memories of that series will help us massively in Australia,” said Broad. “We had a lot of conversations and meetings as a team, about the controversies and what the chairman of the PCB had claimed about us. We had a lot going on, so that win was huge in our changing room, and everyone in the country enjoyed it I think, because the atmosphere at the Rose Bowl was one of the best I’ve played in in England. To have gone the whole summer unbeaten in all the series we’ve played, off the back of a Twenty20 World Cup win, we couldn’t be going to Australia in a better place.”The Pakistan scandal also impinged on what should, by rights, have been one of the proudest achievements of Broad’s career – his career-best 169 in the fourth and final Test at Lord’s that helped rescue England from the depths of 102 for 7 in the first innings. However, even as he and Jonathan Trott were smashing all manner of records in a 332-run eighth-wicket stand, the News of the World was preparing to publish its allegations against Pakistan’s bowlers, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir. Broad, however, insisted he wasn’t bitter at having his moment of glory so overshadowed.”I don’t resent it at all,” he said. “One thing [to bear in mind] was that it was accusations of spot-fixing rather than match-fixing so I know they were still trying to get me out. But at the end of the day I see that hundred as a stepping stone for things for the future. Obviously it was a lovely achievement to score a hundred at Lord’s, and get on the honours board, and more importantly to help get the team out of a lot of trouble at the time, but I just see that as part of my development towards becoming a better cricketer. I’m not going to look at it as the be-all and end-all, but it gives me confidence for scoring more in the future.”The innings reawakened the prospect of Broad one day developing into a genuine allrounder in the mould of Ian Botham or Andrew Flintoff, but for the time being England look set to put their faith in a four-man attack with the wicketkeeper Matt Prior balancing the side at No. 7. “When you look at the best Nos. 6 and 7 in the world, they all average above 45, so gone are the days when you could get away with someone at 6 or 7 who’s below 40,” he said. “You need to have those runs on the board.That’s not to say, however, that his batting prowess will be wasted this winter. “A big strength of our team has been our strength in depth in lower-order batting,” Broad added. “Jimmy [Anderson]’s come on well, Graeme Swann scores useful runs and having Matt Prior at 7 who averages almost 50 has been a huge advantage. Having those extra runs has been like having an extra bowler, because more first-innings runs creates pressure to get more wickets.”England’s last visit to Australia four years ago culminated in a 5-0 whitewash, but Broad has plenty reasons to approach the return trip with optimism. On the one hand, his father Chris was the hero of England’s last victory Down Under in 1986-87 with three centuries in the five-match series; on the other, Broad himself secured the spoils in his last Test against the Aussies at The Oval last summer, when his five-wicket burst on the second afternoon set England up for their decisive 197-run victory.”I look back with great fondness on that Oval Test, and it gives me great confidence that I can perform against Australia,” said Broad. “I enjoy playing against them, I love the competitive side of the game and I think they play sport in a fantastic way. It’s always a battle, it’s always very tough and they never give up. I love the battle that playing against them provides, and I learnt a huge amount from the last Ashes series. We’ll be ready to go, and ready to throw the first punch.””I was only a couple of months old when we last won the Ashes in Australia,” he added. “It’s a very long time ago and we’ve not won that many Tests in Australia since then, but of course we believe we can win. We have huge confidence in each other’s abilities within the changing room, and we are massively excited about the opportunity we have. Every player is dying to get out there into the sunshine and start practising, and with three first-class warm-up games before the first Test, we’ll have no excuses not to be firing on that first morning at Brisbane.”One thing that’s shown over the last 18 months is that different players have stood up at different times,” he said. “We’re not relying on anyone in particular, we’ve got players in the squad who can all step up on different days, and that’s a real advantage that we have. But one thing we’re not doing is looking ahead to Sydney in January and thinking about lifting the Ashes. We’re focusing on the first hour in Brisbane, whether we bat or bowl, and making sure we get ourselves in a strong position, and set the tone for the series. We’ve been good at that recently, and it’s important we get that right in Australia.”Stuart Broad is an ambassador for NatWest CricketForce 2011. Clubs can register at [email protected] and find further information at www.ecb.co.uk/natwestcricketforce

The ICC has praised the PCB for the measures the board has implemented to curb corruption in the aftermath of the spot-fixing controversy

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2010The ICC has praised the PCB for the measures the board has implemented to curb corruption in the aftermath of the spot-fixing controversy. In what is the second update on the progress made by the PCB since it was issued an ultimatum by the ICC to take initiatives to sort out the game’s administration in the country, the ICC said it was “impressed” with the developments.The ultimatum – which included a set of recommendations – was issued on October 13 and the PCB was told to clean up its act or face the consequences, possibly in the form of sanctions. Since then, the board, which was given a 30-day period to conduct a thorough and far-reaching review of “player integrity issues”, has revised its code of conduct for players with a special emphasis on anti-corruption, made it mandatory for players to have their agents approved by the PCB, implemented education programmers for cricketers to create awareness about match-fixing and set up an Integrity Committee to look into issues of corruption and doping.The update was provided at a meeting, by teleconference, of the Pakistan task force, a group headed by ECB chairman Giles Clarke that is aiming to bring back international cricket to Pakistan. “PCB has clearly recognized that it is imperative to protect the integrity of cricket and we are indeed impressed by the progress reported,” Haroon Lorgat, the ICC CEO and a member of the Pakistan task force, said. “Their willingness to play such an active role on the integrity issue is vital to the future of international cricket. They have shown a clear determination to tackle their challenges.”The ICC Task Team is mindful of those challenges and is committed to supporting the PCB.”Clarke said: “The PCB chairman and his team must be congratulated for the speed with which they have adopted the recommendations of the ICC Board. Everyone is encouraged by the statements and actions of the PCB and we must hope that they continue.”Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman who has faced much criticism for his handling of the administration during his tenure, said his board adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption. “The PCB is determined to implement the recommendations provided by the ICC. We at the PCB, like the ICC, are committed to a zero-tolerance approach to any form of corruption.”Most recently, the PCB revoked the central contracts of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif – the three players provisionally suspended by the ICC for their alleged involvement in the spot-fixing controversy. And in the ongoing tour of the UAE where Pakistan are taking on South Africa in an ODI series, the PCB fined three players for breaking curfew as per the revised code of conduct.

New Zealand allrounder Scott Styris will return to Essex for next season’s Friends Provident t20 campaign, subject to approval from the New Zealand Cricket Board

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2010New Zealand allrounder Scott Styris will return to Essex for next season’s Friends Provident t20 campaign, subject to approval from the New Zealand Cricket Board, after re-signing with the county.Styris is scheduled to be available for the duration of the tournament, including the quarter final and Finals Day. He did much to guide Essex towards the knockout stage of the competition last summer, although he didn’t feature in any quarter final matches due to an international call-up.Styris played a pivotal role for Essex in 2010 with 392 runs and 13 wickets, securing a couple of very tight wins along the way. In July, he snatched a victory over Sussex at Hove with 52 from 26 balls. Even more memorable was his effort a month earlier against Surrey at home, when he thrashed a whirlwind maiden FP t20 hundred, reaching the landmark from only 49 balls, to secure a win with just one ball to spare.Styris, 35, played 29 Tests for New Zealand – the last of which was against South Africa in 2007-08 – but is now considered a limited-overs specialist, having played 169 one-day internationals and 28 Twenty20 internationals.

Brian Lara has been invited by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board to represent the side in domestic Twenty20 events if he is interested

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Dec-2010Brian Lara has been invited by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board to represent the side in domestic Twenty20 events if he is interested.”There is only one Brian Lara in this world, and if he is interested in representing T&T at T20 cricket, I am sure the selectors will be more than willing to give him a very serious look,” TTCB president Azim Bassarath said. “Brian has done a lot for cricket. He is a hero, a legend and we have to take care of our heroes. I would like him to know that the TTCB stands ready to support him in his future endeavours.”Lara retired from the international game in 2007, but returned to action in October this year when he turned out in the Zimbabwe domestic Twenty20 tournament. He has also expressed an interest is participating in the 2011 edition of the India Premier League, and has been included in the preliminary auction list, at the highest base price of $400,000.Bassarath hoped Lara would play in the Cricket Festival T20 series starting Tuesday. “I spoke to Brian and offered him an opportunity to play in the T20 invitational,” Bassarath said. “However, he flew into Trinidad on Thursday night and said he would be off again on Monday so it will be difficult to take part in the series.”Earlier Lara told ESPNcricinfo that the league in Zimbabwe was not the toughest. “If I was to give myself a chance to play in the IPL, then I need to start now,” he said. “I tried negotiating with Surrey in May and that fell through. I am not going to say that I am ready for the IPL. The option is around the corner, and I have put my name in the hat. But I need to play cricket regularly from now till then to get fit and capable of doing justice to the game and to my form in such a highly competitive league.”

Ganesh Sanap, the president of the Northern California Cricket Association, has thrown his hat into the ring to fill the vacant vice-president position for the USA Cricket Association

Peter Della Penna06-Jan-2011Ganesh Sanap, the president of the Northern California Cricket Association (NCCA), has thrown his hat into the ring to fill the vacant vice-president position for the USA Cricket Association (USACA). Sanap told ESPNcricinfo that he will run for the position against Hemant Buch. Both men are involved with cricket administration in the San Francisco Bay Area, and it now appears that a regional rivalry will be played out on the national stage.”I just want to bring new energy to the old guard,” Sanap said. Sanap traveled with USA’s U-19 squad to New Zealand for the 2010 ICC U-19 World Cup, where he served as team statistician. If elected, he says his focus will be on youth development, which he feels has been badly neglected by USACA.”As far as the national administration is concerned, all they care about is funding tournaments, which is basic duty of course. Other than that, there has been no plan shown by anyone on the national level that they care about the growth of the game or development of the sport.”Only a handful of committed people at the regional level, they’ve been doing it by themselves. Some have vested interests; some have real passion for the sport. There won’t be any vested interests from me.”Sanap served as secretary of the NCCA from 2006 to 2007 before taking over as president of the league in 2008. The league had 33 teams in 2010, and Sanap says his biggest accomplishment was the formation of the NCCA youth program and U-19 team.”It’s one of the best. My major focus on the league level as well as the national level will be getting more programs in place for youth cricket, identify coaches across the nation, across the various regions, and then if possible, have a few dollars earmarked for them to hold those regular coaching camps, at least a two-day session or a weekend every month to coach U-19 players or youth and then gather reports from them, maintain a database of how the players are progressing.”According to John Aaron, Secretary of USACA, the general elections for USA’s governing body will take place “sometime between March 8 and November 30” following guidelines from the USACA constitution. A USACA board meeting is scheduled for January 15-16 in New York in conjunction with the departure of the USA squad traveling to Hong Kong for the ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament. Aaron believes that the date of this year’s USACA elections will be finalized at the upcoming board meeting, but said that a full meeting agenda hadn’t been finalized.Depending on the date selected for the elections, Aaron also indicated that someone may be appointed to fill the USACA vice president position left vacant after the resignation of Nabeel Ahmed up until the elections are held.

Martin Guptill, the New Zealand top-order batsman, has signed up with Derbyshire for the English domestic season later in the year

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2011Martin Guptill, the New Zealand top-order batsman, has signed with Derbyshire for the English domestic season later in the year. He’s their second overseas player after Usman Khawaja signed with the county earlier this month. Guptill and Khawaja will feature together in the Friends Provident t20 tournament and and Guptill will take over from the Australian batsman for the second half of the County Championship and the limited-overs tournament.A part of New Zealand’s World Cup squad, Guptill has played 15 Tests averaging 34.96 and 39 ODIs with a century and eight fifties. He also has a handy Twenty20 record.”Martin has made a significant impact on the international scene in recent times and we are excited about bringing such a talented cricketer to Derbyshire,” the county’s head of cricket John Morris said. “I’m sure the experience of playing County Cricket will be of great benefit to Martin as it has been for many international cricketers in the past.”

Tamim Iqbal says Bangladesh’s players are mentally fine and the fans’ reactions to their loss against West Indies would not affect them since they had seen similar things before

Sidharth Monga in Chittagong07-Mar-2011Three days after the 58 all out fiasco against West Indies, Bangladesh’s practice session at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Monday began with a loud game that involved every member of the team. The squad, including the support staff, was divided into two groups who competed at a sort of relay race, which also involved cricket balls. Every member was involved; there was loud cheering, fighting, banter, sledging, celebrations, and noise. The plan for Tuesday is to spend the day away from cricket and have Tamim Iqbal, one of the most popular people – if not the most – in Chittagong, take the team out.Bangladesh’s next game is against England on Friday, and they know they can do with some time off to help release the pressure that the performance against West Indies, and the reactions of some of the fans, has brought. “It was just to take our mind off the last game,” Tamim said of the unusual training session. “We have been trying to do that since yesterday [Sunday]. We played some soccer and a few things today; the team is feeling better and the players are mentally fine now. We are looking forward to doing something special in the coming games.”The last game and its aftermath won’t be that easy to forget, as Jamie Siddons said yesterday. West Indies’ bus was hit by some stones, and there were reports that captain Shakib Al Hasan’s house was also attacked, incidents which Tamim condemned. “It was only one stone I think that was thrown at his [Shakib’s] place, and that became a very big issue. It’s disappointing because he is the best player in the country and the No. 1 allrounder in the world. He doesn’t deserve this treatment. I will request the public of Bangladesh to not do this silly stuff. We win one day, we lose one day, these kinds of things happen in cricket. So they need to support us in good times as well as bad times.”Tamim said that the reaction will not affect his or his team’s game. “We have seen enough of this kind of thing, so it won’t play any role on my mind. I know one thing: if we do something special on March 11 everything is going to be fine.”It is Tamim who the side will be looking to to provide them with a start that helps them forget the last match. It is personally a big match for him; a World Cup match at home. “It is very big for me, and also for Chittagong. It will take Chittagong to the next level I am sure.”Tamim knows his role is important but doesn’t agree with the notion that the team rely on him too much going into every big game. “We have got a couple of very good players in our team. I know I need to perform in every game and that is my goal. But I don’t think the team relies on just me. I need to give them a solid start, and after that they can build a foundation. Players like Mushfiqur [Rahim] and Raqibul [Hasan] didn’t have a great game on Friday, but I am sure they are capable of making big scores and will do it in the next game.”

Durham have signed David Miller, the 21-year-old South African batsman, for the Friends Provident t20 this season

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-2011Durham have signed David Miller, the 21-year-old South African batsman, for the Friends Provident t20 this season.Miller has a reputation for being a big-hitting middle-order player and narrowly missed out on a World Cup berth after making his international debut last year. He has played 13 ODIs for South Africa as well and six Twenty20 internationals, from which he averages 41.00.He played alongside Dale Benkenstein for Nashua Dolphins in 2010 and is set to rejoin his old team-mate in Chester-le-Street as Durham look to improve their fortunes in the FPt20 after finishing one off the bottom of the North Group last year.”This will be my first time joining a club in the UK as an overseas player and I’m really looking forward to making my mark,” said Miller. “I’m excited about joining up with Dale and the rest of the squad, I’ve heard plenty of good things about the club and their ambition to do well in this format and I think I can contribute significantly.”Geoff Cook, the Durham coach said, “We really benefited from having the extra power in the batting line up last season with Ross Taylor and Albie Morkel so we’re pleased to be able to add David to our current line up to strengthen the middle order. Dale was really impressed by his talent, we’re delighted to have him on board.”

Hawk-Eye Innovations has dismissed doubts over its technology’s accuracy during the semi-final between India and Pakistan when an lbw decision against Sachin Tendulkar was overturned by the referral system

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-2011Hawk-Eye Innovations, the company responsible for the ball-tracking technology used in the DRS during the World Cup, has sought to dismiss doubts over the accuracy of the technology during the semi-final between India and Pakistan when an lbw decision against Sachin Tendulkar was overturned by the referral system. The company has published a detailed report of the Tendulkar referral on its website.”The path Hawk-Eye showed was accurate and the Decision Review System was used correctly to overturn the umpire’s original decision,” Stephen Carter, managing director of Hawk-Eye Innovations told the . “The Hawk-Eye track lines up perfectly with the video of the real ball from release to impact point.”Tendulkar was ruled out lbw by umpire Ian Gould in the 11th over, bowled by Saeed Ajmal when on 23 (he went on to make 85). After much deliberation, Tendulkar asked for a referral and replays showed that the ball, delivered from an angle, pitched outside the line of off stump before turning in to hit his front pad in front of middle. Hawk-Eye suggested that the ball would have gone on to miss leg stump. Ajmal, after the game, expressed bafflement, claiming he had bowled an arm ball that went on straight when it had appeared as though the ball had been an offspinner that spun down after pitching in line.”The commentators said on air that Tendulkar had been ‘caught on the crease’,” Carter said on his website. “From the front-on angle it does look like Tendulkar has been hit when batting in his crease. However, Tendulkar was almost two metres out of his crease when struck.”He also dismissed suggestions that the wrong ball may have been superimposed during the referral. “Theoretically it is possible but in a practical sense you couldn’t superimpose a wrong ball,” he said. “It would not line up perfectly and it would be perfectly obvious to everybody.”