Pakistan limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi is hoping his side can put the troubles of the recent England tour behind them

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2010Pakistan limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi has said he hopes his side can put the troubles of the recent England tour behind them as they begin their build-up to next year’s World Cup.Pakistan lost both the Test and one-day series to England, and three of their players – former captain Salman Butt and fast-bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir – were suspended by the ICC following their alleged involvement in ‘spot-fixing’ during the last Test at Lord’s.They now head out to UAE to meet South Africa for two Twenty20 games before a five-match ODI series which starts in November. A two-match Test series follows before the team sets off for New Zealand. Afridi feels his side has the talent to win the limited-overs series and hopes the upcoming World Cup can galvanize a side that has been beset by off-field troubles.”It’s all about confidence. We can improve our World Cup chances by boosting our confidence and should do that by winning matches against South Africa and later against New Zealand,” he said. “We have to forget what happened during the tour of England. What the team desperately needs is some good results and I’m sure that if we play to our potential we can do that against South Africa.”Shorn of the services of the suspended players, Afridi refused to condemn the trio and insisted that his spinners could prove to be Pakistan’s biggest weapon. “We are going to miss the three because they are our key players,” he said.”But we can’t just sit back and cry over it. We have to focus on the upcoming assignments and thankfully, we still have several match-winners in our side. Spinners will certainly be playing the major role in UAE, the wickets there should give them a lot of assistance.”

Vaughn van Jaarsveld has had his provisional suspension by Cricket South Africa (CSA) lifted

Firdose Moonda18-Nov-2010Vaughn van Jaarsveld, the Dolphins batsman who has played two one-dayers and three Twenty20 internationals for South Africa, has had his provisional suspension by Cricket South Africa (CSA) lifted. Van Jaarsveld, 25, had been suspended after he tested positive for banned stimulant sibutramine, a substance commonly found in diet pills. The tests were conducted by the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (SAIDS) while van Jaarsveld was still with the Lions franchise.It is believed that van Jaarsveld ingested the substance accidently, as it was part of prescription medication that was issued to him. “It would be appear that he is not at fault so he has been cleared to play,” Dolphins chief executive Jesse Chellan told ESPNcricinfo.Van Jaarsveld was provisionally suspended on Wednesday but the South African Cricketers Association (SACA) believed that he was innocent and at the time asked for SAIDS to be understanding. “We don’t believe it is his fault, but we have to go through the process and we have waived his right to have the B-sample tested. In the circumstances, we hope the SAIDS will be pretty lenient.”The Lions distanced themselves from the situation, issuing a statement on Thursday saying that the prescription was not given by team doctor Jon Patricios and that van Jaarsveld went against team policy by obtaining a prescription from another practitioner.”All medications issued to Gauteng Cricket Board and Lions players by our medical team are checked against the WADA list of banned substances,” said Patricios in the statement. “Moreover players are warned against taking medications prescribed by doctors outside of the GCB medical team without first cross-checking the drug’s status on the prohibited list.”Players are also educated about the risk of contaminated supplements. Players who take medications or supplements without first clearing these with the team doctor do so at their own risk and against team protocol.”Dolphins coach Graham Ford said his player was attended to by a “very well respected medical practitioner”, adding: “Failing a test is not something to be condoned but in these circumstances the issue is very different.”SACA chief executive Tony Irish indicated that SACA has reason to believe van Jaarsveld will be cleared completely. “Usually when SAIDS don’t consider the player to have done anything wrong, the interim suspension is lifted,” he said.Van Jaarsveld will play for his for his franchise this weekend and will face a CSA Anti-Doping tribunal next week. SACA will represent Van Jaarsveld at the hearing.

He required four lifelines, but Victoria’s rookie opener Michael Hill nevertheless achieved a feat that none of his country’s Test squad could manage in Adelaide last week, and scored a century against the English tourists

Andrew Miller in Melbourne10-Dec-2010He required four lifelines, including a first-ball reprieve off Chris Tremlett, but Victoria’s rookie opener Michael Hill nevertheless achieved a feat that none of his counterparts in the Test team could manage in Adelaide last week, and scored a century against the English tourists. At the age of 22, and in his eighth first-class appearance, Hill made 105 not out, his highest first-class score, to hand Victoria the spoils on the opening day of their three-day fixture at the MCG.The day’s main focus, however, was on another Michael from Victoria – Michael Beer. His surprise call-up to the Australia Test squad after only five first-class outings for his new state, Western Australia, left Beer, his former team-mate and club-level rival, surprised and delighted at the speed of his ascent.”It’s an interesting story, because two years ago he was running around for St Kilda,” said Hill, who himself plays for their biggest local rivals, Melbourne. “He’s been a great club bowler for the past three or four years – I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s got 50 wickets a year or close enough to that – and they’ve seen something in him, so they’re giving him a go. If he plays I’ll definitely be sending him a text. In fact, I’ll go and do it now!”Two seasons ago, the pair were occasional team-mates in Victoria’s second XI. Now, after a switch of state and five wickets in England’s opening match of their Ashes campaign, he’s set to become the tenth spinner since Shane Warne to don the Baggy Green. “Every time Frosty goes out to play, he plays with 100% and all his heart,” Hill said. “If he plays, he’ll play no different than that.”Hill’s performance may have shown how it is possible to thrive against this touring England side, but afterwards he confessed how tough he had found the latter stages of his innings, when the pressure of his maiden first-class century resulted in him offering up his fourth and final chance on 92.”I think they call them the nervous nineties for a reason, and I think I know all about them now,” Hill said. “But I had a really good friend in David Hussey up the other end, who got me through some tough times. He kept saying, don’t worry, it’ll come, but I thought ‘Jeez, will it come soon, because I don’t want to stay here too long’.”I was really excited this morning, I woke up thinking how cool it would be to get a few runs,” he added. “You need a bit of luck in this game and I had my fair share, but I was over the moon. This is a small stepping stone, but hopefully there can be more to come. The calibre of the players we are playing against is phenomenal.”Having faced up to all three of the England seamers who are vying for selection at Perth, Hill reckoned the man who deserved to play was the same bowler who might have had him caught at slip first-ball. “I’d go for [Chris] Tremlett,” he said. “Just for his big height, especially at the WACA. He extracted a lot of bounce out of a wicket that wasn’t giving the bowlers much, and he bowled a terrific spell of reverse swing just before tea.”It’s hard facing him,” he added of England’s 6’8″ seamer. “It looks like his arm is coming over the top of the MCG roof, which is pretty hard to do. It is intimidating watching him coming down, and he bowled some terrific spells today. In fact they all bowled well. Early on they realised the wicket would be quite flat, and with the reverse swing they were trying to get as full as possible, so there weren’t a heap of effort balls going in.”The pick of England’s seamers was Tim Bresnan, whose application on sluggish decks in Bangladesh back in March had taught him how best to perform in such inhospitable conditions. “You can only bowl on what you get given, and I feel we did that as a unit,” Bresnan said. “You’ve billed it as a shoot-out, or a bowl-off, but we can’t see it like that. We’ve got a job to do, and a game to win, and we’ve gone in with that philosophy.”As for Beer’s selection for the Test match, Bresnan recalled his performance in the WACA warm-up, but had little time for the theory that, as a left-arm spinner, he had been selected to probe one of the flaws in Kevin Pietersen’s game. “It’s obviously not a weakness any more, is it?” said Bresnan, after watching the way he dispatched Xavier Doherty during his double-century in Adelaide. “We’ll view that selection closer to the time. But it doesn’t matter what they do in their team selection, we’ll do the same due diligence on whoever plays.”Meanwhile, Hill’s excitement at reaching three figures for the first time was quite enough to be getting on with for now, even though the Australian selectors are clearly in the market for young cricketers with the temperament to succeed at the highest level. “I don’t like to try to think too far ahead,” he said of the possibility of himself being called into the squad at some stage. “That’s my first first-class hundred, so I’m looking forward to getting out in the second innings against the Poms and seeing how I go.”

With Virender Sehwag gone, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel gave India a South African welcome – one that involved tenderizing gloves, bruising bodies and the smell of lacquer and leather

The Bulletin by George Binoy16-Dec-201038.1 overs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball-details
Gautam Gambhir had the hardest time against the South African fast bowlers•AFP

It lasted three deliveries. After weeks of anticipation, and a four-and-a-half-hour rain delay, the duel between Dale Steyn and Virender Sehwag ended the moment the batsman touched the ball at SuperSport Park. Anti-climatic it may have been, but the South Africans were in raptures. With Sehwag gone, Steyn and Morne Morkel gave India a hostile welcome – one that involved tenderising gloves, bruising bodies and the smell of lacquer and leather. India were hustled and hurried by bouncers, but it was the fuller follow-up delivery that brought South Africa the wickets.The Indians had spent a week at Gary Kirsten’s academy in Cape Town customising their preparation for today but no simulation could match the reality of Steyn and Morkel. The batsmen were unable to score – even if only to get off strike, to deny the bowler consecutive deliveries at a particular player and the time to execute plans. Of 122 deliveries bowled in the first session, 101 were dots and India’s accomplished line-up continued to underperform in their bogey country.Overnight and early-morning downpours had dampened conditions, prompting Graeme Smith, with an attack far classier than India’s previous opponents New Zealand, to put India in. The first delivery set the tone: Steyn hit Gautam Gambhir’s back pad and a close lbw appeal was denied. Sehwag shouldered arms twice in Steyn’s opening over, and in the bowler’s second, he attempted to flay the ball through cover point. It moved away a fraction and flew off the edge to Hashim Amla, placed at third man for precisely that. Steyn 1, Sehwag 0, India 1 for 1 and stunned.Gambhir was perhaps lucky on 1, when a ripsnorter from Morkel rose from a length and sped towards his face. Gambhir began to sway and then fended helplessly. The ball appeared to kiss the glove and was pouched by Mark Boucher, but umpire Steve Davis shook his head. Morkel had touched speeds of 150kph during his first spell and was perhaps just too quick.The reprieve cost South Africa only four runs, perhaps the hardest runs Gambhir has made. Morkel pounded in from round the wicket, pitched the ball short of a length, angled it into the left-hander, targeting the body and sometimes the head. Pinned to the crease without room outside off, Gambhir ducked and defended in discomfort.There was no respite against Steyn either. Following a brief exchange of words, Steyn let rip. Gambhir took his eyes off the bouncer and took the ball on his back. The next ball was fuller, moved away from the left-hander, and beat the tentative poke outside off stump. Gambhir was soon put out of his misery, though, and it was the follow-up ball to the bouncer that got him. Having been cornered by the short-pitched attack from Morkel, he drove at a fuller one with poor footwork, and edged to first slip.Dravid had appeared the most comfortable, relatively speaking, taking his bottom hand off the bat to fend off rising deliveries, careful to leave anything outside off, and compact while playing deliveries aimed at his body. Morkel then got one to jag sharply into him from outside off. Dravid was caught on the crease, hit on the pad and Morkel was celebrating his 100th Test wicket, having reduced India to 27 for 3.The smattering of rain-resistant spectators gave Sachin Tendulkar a warm reception and he responded to adversity by taking on the less-threatening Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Tendulkar pulled him twice for fours from outside off stump, drove fluently through cover and guided to third man. Neither Tendulkar nor VVS Laxman was tested much by South Africa’s support act, but their respite was fleeting and ended soon after the break for tea.Tendulkar continued to attack Steyn, edging past his stumps before driving through extra cover and cutting past point – all for boundaries. Steyn responded with two similar deliveries, on a good length, straight and fast. The first beat Laxman’s flick from the crease and uprooted middle stump. The second beat Tendulkar’s flick from the crease and hit the pad, otherwise it too would have uprooted middle stump. Between those dismissals Suresh Raina, who appeared brittle as a leaf in a thunderstorm, had edged Jacques Kallis to third slip. India, at 71 for 6, were being cooked on a .Harbhajan Singh fought, as he usually does, but a trigger movement towards leg as the fast bowlers attacked him betrayed nervousness. He hit the day’s first six, clouting Tsotsobe over long-on, before losing his grip on the bat while attempting a third to be run out. The tailenders had no chance against the barrage, and only Dhoni, with his awkward movements, threw a few counterpunches.Rain had threatened to ruin the opening day of the series, the terrific efforts of the groundstaff had ensured it wasn’t washed out, and similar efforts from South Africa’s fearsome new-ball attack ensured that lost time was made up.

Canada’s preparation for the World Cup has been hampered by a delay in Indian visas for four key players in their squad

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2011Canada’s preparation for the World Cup has been hampered by a delay in Indian visas for four key players in their squad.Batsman Rizwan Cheema, allrounder Umar Bhatti, paceman Khurram Chohan and back-up keeper Hamza Tariq – all Pakistan-born – were all ruled out of Canada’s recent pre-tournament warm-up in India and Ranjit Saini, the Cricket Canada president, told Pakistan’s Daily Mail the problems have damaged the team.”[We have been] waiting to have visas processed for several months now,” he said. “Canada took a pre-World Cup preparatory visit to India in November and the visas were applied for before that.”We couldn’t take these players to India and as a result our training plans have suffered. [It’s] a source of distraction and is hurting team morale in general. We are making efforts but so far there is no outcome. They are the star players of our team, Rizwan Cheema was in the IPL auction.”Saini confirmed that Canada will take a full-strength to Bangladesh in February for the official World Cup warm-up matches and the opening ceremony before proceeding to Colombo for their opening fixture, against Sri Lanka. The team is currently competing in the Caribbean T20, where they won a stirring encounter with England domestic Twenty20 Champions Hampshire.They have just two days from returning from that tournament before they head off to Dubai to prepare for the World Cup and Saini is hoping the visas can be sorted by then.”The problem is that if this is not resolved in next week or so, the team will be on the move and players can’t come back to Canada for visa processing. The short window of opportunity is now causing the issue to become a major problem.”

Chris Tremlett, the England fast bowler, will fly out to Bangladesh as a traveling reserve with England’s World Cup squad

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2011Chris Tremlett, the England fast bowler, will fly out to Bangladesh as a traveling reserve with England’s World Cup squad. He has recovered from a side strain, and will be on stand-by to be added to the 15-man squad in the event that the selectors need to replace an injured player.Tremlett, 29, was awarded an incremental contract after his role in England’s victorious Ashes campaign, and played in the first four one-dayers against Australia in January, taking six wickets at 33.50.Eoin Morgan has already been ruled out of the World Cup due to a fractured finger and England are currently sweating on the fitness of five more members of their squad. Paul Collingwood received an injection on Monday, having suffered a back spasm during the penultimate ODI in Sydney. Tim Bresnan is stepping up his training having succumbed to a calf strain, while Ajmal Shahzad’s hamstring injury is still causing concern.Stuart Broad is believed to be on track having torn a stomach muscle back in December, while Graeme Swann is set to test his injured knee in the nets on Tuesday, having missed the latter stages of the Australia tour.ECB National Selector Geoff Miller said: “While the injured bowlers in the 15-man squad are all progressing well, the selectors have decided it would be prudent to have an additional player on hand who is acclimatised in case we need to apply to the Event Technical Committee for a replacement due to injury.”

A potential dispute involving two leading cricketers, Sri Lanka Cricket and a state-owned channel appears to have been doused

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2011A potential dispute involving two leading cricketers, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and a state-owned channel appears to have been doused after the channel issued a clarification over remarks made by an anchor following Sri Lanka’s 11-run loss to Pakistan on Saturday.A commentary on Sunday on Sri Lanka’s state TV network, ITN, said a businessman had bet roughly $18,000 on a Pakistan victory and, according to an SLC release, implied “that our players might have been involved in match-fixing.”SLC condemned the comments and said it would be taking up the matter “with the relevant authorities of this channel, based on the fact that this channel has brought great distress to two of our national cricketers.” After Sri Lanka’s nine-wicket win over Kenya on Tuesday, a board official said that the matter would be discussed with lawyers and board authorities.Soon after the SLC release, ITN issued its own clarification. “It must be emphasised that our intention was purely not to embarrass” the players. “We wish to express our deep concern if the contents of the programme had hurt both of them or any other party. Today’s “Vimasuma” [the name of the show] was based on making further clarifications with regard to the earlier programme.”Sri Lanka’s team manager Anura Tennekoon denied there would be any inquiry from the SLC or from the International Cricket Council (ICC). “Knowing both [the players], we feel there is no necessity to investigate the matter and, as far as the ICC has concerned, they have the right to investigate but so far they have not brought anything on this,” Tennekoon said. “But we will discuss the matter with our lawyer as well.”

For the most part of this tournament, England have not been able to play to a plan, what with injuries, upsets and an illness forcing them to look think on their feet

Sidharth Monga in Colombo25-Mar-2011For the most part of this tournament, England have not been able to play to a plan, what with injuries, upsets and an illness forcing them to look think on their feet. They have failed twice, but have succeeded just enough number of times to have earned the right of to play Sri Lanka in the final quarter-final. On the eve of that match, Andrew Strauss spoke of the importance of not going in with too many set plans and the inspiration his side can draw from having survived despite potential disasters.”We have shown a lot of resolve,” Strauss said. “We have shown that we are able to stick together in close encounters, but you never know what this game is going to throw at you, and you have to be quick enough to adapt to whatever comes your way. Now is the time to play good, smart, intelligent cricket and ask questions of the opposition.”Strauss said that the way the rest of the squad has managed without the injured players has been heartening. “We have had to deal with that right from the end of the Ashes,” he said. “We have had a lot of injuries, lot of people coming and going, and I think that tests out your resolve as a group, also the core of the side to be able to welcome other people in and make them feel part of the side and just as important member as the guy that has departed.”That’s something we are good at. But no one wants injuries. Not what you are looking for, it makes life harder for you, but you have got to manage the situation as the cards unfold. So far we have managed to deal with it reasonably well, hopefully we can do that in the rest of the World Cup.”England could be with their third opening combination of the tournament if Ian Bell partners Andrew Strauss•Getty Images

England are waiting on Tim Bresnan’s fitness, have decided on an opener but are not going to reveal him until toss, and have an important choice to make around James Anderson, who has lost form in the subcontinent. “He [Anderson] has freshened up to a certain extent,” Strauss said. “He didn’t play in the last game. He has had nine or 10 days away from cricket, and he certainly bowled very well to me in the nets the other day. Wasn’t my best batting display of all time. He is definitely an option for this game. He has got a lot of experience, we know what a quality bowler he is, and to a certain extent it is more likely to swing here with the humidity than some of the other places in India.”Among other things, that they managed to win in the absence of their first-choice quick motivates Strauss. “We haven’t always been able to rely on Plan A, so we have had to chop and change things a little bit,” he said. “Ravi [Bopara] bowled quite a few overs in the last game when he hadn’t really bowled much in the World Cup beforehand. James Tredwell came in. It gives me a lot of belief that you don’t just have to look at the same two-three players to deliver for you.”Strauss was not a member of the side that won the ODI series 3-2 in Sri Lanka in 2007. He said that should not be a big handicap. “I have asked the guys who were involved how they went about with things,” he said. “It’s quite an interesting stuff they have come back with. The wickets here have been relaid since 2007, so it’s hard to glean too much information about what happened there. Different lights too. I think in this circumstance you don’t want to go into the game with too many predetermined plans. You have got to adapt well to whatever you encounter.”Staying true to their form in their first six games of the tournament, Strauss promised a close game. “It’s been great that our games have been close, for the spectators. Hasn’t been quite so great for us. We would have liked to win a lot easier than we have done.”We take a lot of confidence from the fact that we have beaten the major sides and that holds us in good stead for this game. We don’t know what drama is about to unfold. The likelihood is, as we saw the India-Australia game yesterday, it’s going to be a tight game, and it’s going to fluctuate on a couple of key performances. We have got to make sure that we are the guys who put up those performances.”

Robbie Frylinck, the Lions allrounder, has been reprimanded after testing positive for a drug found in a slimming tablet

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2011Robbie Frylinck , the Lions allrounder, has been reprimanded after testing positive for a drug found in a slimming tablet during a random test following a domestic match in South Africa.Frylinck, 26, had a disciplinary hearing on March 28 where it was revealed he had been given clearance from the Lions’ medical team before taking the tablet. He pleaded guilty to the positive test which showed sibutramine – used to aid slimming – but because of the advice he was given by team staff he was only handed a reprimand rather than a more severe punishment.”Although Robbie followed the team protocol before taking the tablets this case illustrates the risks when players take unregulated supplements,” Tony Irish, the CEO of the South African Cricketers’ Association, said: “In cricket, as in all sports, we support anti-doping measures and players need to constantly guard against the risks.”Frylinck is free to take up his Indian Premier League contract with Delhi Daredevils when the tournament starts in early April.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Deccan Chargers and Delhi Daredevils in Hyderabad

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo04-May-2011

Match facts

Thursday, May 5, Hyderabad
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)David Warner’s tournament has been on a downward curve•AFP

Big Picture

A loss in Hyderabad could be the final blow to the already feeble hopes Deccan Chargers and Delhi Daredevils harbour of making the play-offs. The good news for both of them is that they have tended to win when absolutely necessary – neither of them have lost more than two matches in a row. The problem is neither of them have won two games back-to-back either, which makes the probability of either side putting together a late run to make the top four unlikely.Delhi are a one-man side. When Virender Sehwag departs early, the team’s shoulders droop and even the most loyal fans reach for the remote control. And James Hopes’ absence in the last two games hasn’t helped either.Deccan Chargers have been a bit like the little girl with a little curl in the middle of her forehead. They’ve had two of the biggest wins of this IPL – they showed all-round strength against Royal Challengers Bangalore at home, and then scythed through Kochi Tuskers away – but when they’ve lost, they’ve gone down without a whimper. The Hyderabad jinx that was broken with the win against Bangalore seems to be resurfacing, as they’ve lost three matches at home since, making it 13 losses out of 14 games there in all competitions. Deccan haven’t won a match chasing so far, betraying a batting line-up lacking depth and quick to crumble under pressure.

Form guide (most recent first)

Deccan: LLWLW (seventh on points table)
Delhi: LWLLW (eigtht on points table)

Team talk

Deccan Chargers’ problem has been the under-performance of their international players. Shikhar Dhawan, Sunny Sohal and Bharat Chipli have all scored their share of the runs, but Cameron White, Daniel Christian and JP Duminy haven’t. The persistence with White, who has a strike-rate of 91.75 in the 97 balls he’s faced, is bordering on farcical, particularly when Michael Lumb is warming the bench. With JP Duminy struggling for form too, it may make sense to play Rusty Theron and shore up the bowling.Delhi seem to have settled on Travis Birt as their fourth foreign player, and after his cameo in their last match, he may continue to keep Andrew McDonald and Colin Ingram out. Umesh Yadav was all over the place against Kochi, and the other India fast bowlers in the squad – Ashok Dinda and Varun Aaron – aren’t visions of perfection either. They might well decide to bring left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem back in.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

David Warner scored three half-centuries and a 46 in his first five matches of this IPL, but has since reached double figures just once. He needs to find that early form in order to take some of the pressure off Sehwag.Amit Mishra has been Deccan’s best bowler of the tournament along with Dale Steyn. His 10 wickets have come at 22.60 and his economy rate of 6.64 is the best among the bowlers in the side. On Thursday he will come up against Venugopal Rao in Delhi’s middle order, who has been solid through the tournament.

Prime numbers

• Virender Sehwag and David Warner’s 146-run stand against Kings XI Punjab is the highest opening stand of this IPL. Deccan have not had a partnership of more than 92
• Ishant Sharma is one of three bowlers to have taken a five-wicket haul this season. There were no five-fors in IPL 2010

The chatter

“The only area where we lacked is all-round overall performance on a regular basis.”
“A couple of seasons back Deccan Chargers won five matches in a row to reach the semi-finals and ended up winning the IPL as well. If they can do it, so can we.”