Australia will need to manage the workload of their young fast bowler Pat Cummins, according to the captain Michael Clarke

Brydon Coverdale in Johannesburg22-Nov-2011Australia will need to manage the workload of their young fast bowler Pat Cummins, according to the captain Michael Clarke. Cummins was Man of the Match in his first Test thanks to his seven wickets at the Wanderers, where he also struck the winning runs in a display that was more mature than most people expected of an 18-year-old.Fans are excited about seeing Cummins play at home, but with six Tests coming up this summer – two against New Zealand and four against India – it will be a heavy burden on Cummins if he is to play all of Australia’s matches. Apart from the Tests, Australia will play two Twenty20s against India in January, and up to 11 one-day internationals in the tri-series with India and Sri Lanka.Cummins is contracted to Cricket Australia but he could also have state commitments with New South Wales when time permits. This time last year he had not yet played for his state, and Australia will need to ensure they do not ask too much of Cummins in his first year of full-time cricket.”We’ve got to be smart,” Clarke said. “I don’t think it’s possible for Paddy right now to play all forms of the game for Australia. To play every single game I think would be silly. That’s only my opinion. We need to speak to the selectors and we need to make a plan for him, because he’s got a bright future. He’s got the potential to be an amazing cricketer for Australia, and we have to be smart and make sure we look after him.”In Johannebsurg, Cummins was Australia’s best bowler and took 6 for 79 in the second innings, his swing, pace and aggression turning the match in Australia’s favour when South Africa could have shut them out. He was also calm when he came to the crease with Australia needing 18 runs to win with two wickets in hand; he hit 13 of them, including a four off Imran Tahir to seal the result.”He’s an amazing talent,” Clarke said. “He’s shown that in the shorter forms of the game. He’s shown that throughout this Test. The one thing that continues to impress me is not just his bowling. I’ve made it very clear to him that I think he’s a very good batsman, with a lot of talent. He just needs to continue to work hard with that. He’s as good an athlete in the field as we’ve had come into this team for a while.”While Cummins was the standout, his bag of wickets only highlighted the lack of victims claimed by the more senior fast bowlers, Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle. Cummins will surely be the first bowler selected for the opening Test against New Zealand at the Gabba, starting on December 1, but Clarke said it was not a concern that Australia had relied so heavily on a teenage debutant in Johannesburg.”I couldn’t be happier, I don’t care who gets the wickets,” Clarke said. “I said that in Sri Lanka, Michael Hussey can get ten-for, I don’t care who gets the wickets. I just want 20 wickets and I want to get more runs than the opposition. It was Paddy’s day. First Test in Brisbane could be Peter Siddle’s day or Mitchell Johnson’s day.”

The Sri Lanka sports minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, has said that the Sri Lanka players would be paid 65% of their dues within the next two weeks

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2011The Sri Lanka sports minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, has said that the Sri Lanka players would be paid 65% of their dues within the next two weeks, while the balance amount would be paid by January 15 next year.”We will be able to complete the full payment by January,” Altuthgamage told the Sri Lankan parliament on Tuesday.Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has not paid their players their salaries since the 2011 World Cup ended in April after running up debts of US$32.5 million to finance the building of two international cricket stadiums in Hambantota and Pallekele, and to renovate the ground in Colombo, for the World Cup.Aluthgamage said that the ICC had agreed to pay US$2 million to SLC and that the coach and players would be paid out of those funds. The Sri Lankan Cricketers’ Association (SLCA) has contacted the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) seeking assistance over the delay in the cricketers’ salaries for series following the World Cup this year.South Africa’s cricketers lent their support to the Sri Lanka players ahead of the upcoming bilateral series between the sides, saying it was a credit to the Sri Lanka team that they had kept going, but the issue needed to be resolved soon.Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka captain, said the board had told him they would try and sort out the payments within the next week. ” We discussed with the Cricket Association last week and they promised it will be sorted out before the Test match, Dilshan told reporters at a press conference in Benoni. “I can’t push more than that. I’m here to play cricket. I have to focus on that.”Dilshan also thanked the South Africa players and FICA for their support. “It [statement by SA cricketers] has definitely helped. Thanks to Graeme Smith and AB [de Villiers] for giving a statement, and to FICA.”Sri Lanka have struggled since the World Cup, losing Test and ODI series to Australia, England and Pakistan. But Dilshan said he didn’t think that the payment saga had affected his team’s performances. “We try to play good cricket. Everyone wants to play cricket. We are not worried about payments. We know it is important but we have come here [South Africa] to play cricket. That’s the main target as a team.”

Vikrant Shetty, the UAE offspinning allrounder, has been cleared to bowl at the international level, after undergoing remedial work on his bowling action

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2012Vikrant Shetty, the UAE offspinning allrounder, has been cleared to bowl at the international level, after undergoing remedial work on his bowling action. Shetty worked on his action at the ICC Global Cricket Academy (GCA), under the supervision of head coaches Dayle Hadlee and Mudassar Nazar. Following the remedial action, he was assessed and cleared by his home board, the Emirates Cricket Board.Shetty had been reported for a suspected illegal action during UAE’s Intercontinental Cup clash against Afghanistan in October. Shetty, 27, had made his first-class debut in that match. He was reported at the end of the match by on-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Buddhi Pradhan, and third umpire Iftikhar Ali.Under this process, as with all bowlers, Shetty’s action will continue to be scrutinised by match officials to ensure it remains legal.

A round-up of the final round of matches in the 2011-12 season of the SuperSport Series

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2012With a victory as commanding as victories come, the Titans won the SuperSport Series. Their margin of an innings and 325 runs against the Dolphins in SuperSport Park is the largest in a first-class match in South Africa.The Titans began the last round of fixtures 0.68 points behind the Cobras but ensured the men from the Cape had no chance of surging ahead. Frequent weather interruptions also played a significant part in the Cobras draw with the Lions at the Wanderers.After being put in to bat, the Titans scored at over five runs an over to amass 473 for 9 declared on the first day and capture seven bonus points. By the end of play on day one, they had already taken two Dolphins wickets and went on to shoot the opposition out for less than 100 in both innings. The Dolphins made fewer runs in the match than Faf du Plessis did on his own, making it the first time since the 1988-89 season that a team has sunk to such a low.The Titans lost Jacques Rudolph early but Heino Kuhn and the captain Martin van Jaarsveld added a brisk 102 runs for the second wicket. van Jaarsveld made 50 off 74 balls but Kuhn was quicker, scoring at a strike-rate of nearly 90 during his innings of 128. When he was dismissed in the 48th over, the Titans had already scored 255.The quick scoring did not stop with Kuhn’s departure. du Plessis struck 15 fours and four sixes during his 157 off 162 balls, adding 156 for the fifth wicket with Henry Davids, who made 73 off 95 deliveries. So severe was the ransacking of the Dolphins’ bowlers – Brandon Scullard conceded 143 in 20 overs – that Titans declared after 87.1 overs, just before stumps on day one, giving their bowlers a two-over crack at the weary Dolphins openers.Neither Imraan nor Divan van Wyk got off the mark. Rowan Richards and Ethy Mbhalati dismissed them in successive overs to leave the Dolphins on 5 for 2 at stumps. Daryn Smit, the No. 3 batsman, also fell for a duck on the second morning and the collapse did not stop, with only Vaughan van Jaarsveld making more than 20. Richards, Mbhalati and CJ de Villiers took three wickets each to skittle Dolphins for 62.With a lead of 411, and his bowlers needing only 20.5 overs to dismiss Dolphins in the first innings, Martin van Jaarsveld enforced the follow-on, with telling effect. The Dolphins top three got off the mark in the second innings but none of them made it to double figures. All of them fell to Mbhalati, who went on to finish with 5 for 32. No Dolphins batsmen made it past 20 this time and they folded for 86 in 28.5 overs.The Titans had won the first-class competition in the 2008-09 season and now claimed their first trophy under the new management of Matthew Maynard and Martin van Jaarsveld. When Maynard took over at the start of the season he was told that he would have to win at least seven trophies out of a possible nine in his three-year tenure.Titans’ emphatic win at SuperSport Park meant the Cobras had no chance of defending their title after the first three days of their match were affected by rain and bad light. The Cobras put the Lions in under cloudy skies and had early reward when Stephen Cook was bowled by Rory Kleinveldt for 4. Alviro Petersen and Gulam Bodi grew roots and put on 131 for the second wicket. The pair scored slowly and denied the Cobras any chance of a point. Their attack only had rewards late on the first day when Bodi and Neil McKenzie were dismissed within 11 runs of each other.The Lions middle order was strong again, with Temba Bavuma continuing his fantastic debut season with 64, and Chris Morris contributing with 60 at No. 8. They were eventually bowled out for 410 on the third day.The Cobras had to score quickly to have any chance of staying in the match but stuttered through the early part of their innings. Yaseen Vallie* was the major contributor with a career best 167 and starts from everyone else gave the Cobras a 10-run lead. Morris’ good all-round performance continued with 4 for 100.With a draw looking the likeliest result, the Lions batted sedately to just before 4pm before the teams shook hands and ended the game. Their captain, Petersen, did not bat in the second innings but ended the competition as the top run-scorer – 816 runs at an average of 62.76.A dead rubber was played in Port Elizabeth, where the Knights beat the Warriors by 161 runs.The Knights had a tough first innings and were bowled out for 240, with Johann van der Wath the top-scorer with 79. Arno Jacobs scored a massive 152 and Ashwell Prince got 60 to take the Warriors to 318, a lead of 78. The match remained a tight affair in the third innings. Morne van Wyk’s 155 and Ryan McLaren’s 90 led the Knights to 373 in their second innings.The Warriors were set 205 to win but collapsed to 134 all out. Quinton Friend took six wickers and Werner Coetsee claimed four for the Knights. The Warriors do have the competition’s top bowler in their ranks. Simon Harmer ended the season with 44 scalps at an average of 31.75.*04:00 GMT, Feb 13: This story previously said that Stiaan van Zyl’s 167 gave Cobras the lead. This has been corrected

Glamorgan have announced an operating loss of £1.7m for 2011, with additional costs and interest bringing the deficit for the year to £3m

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2012Glamorgan have announced a deficit of £1.7m for 2011, with additional costs and interest bringing the club’s retained losses for the year to £3m. The results were significantly hit by the rain-affected England v Sri Lanka Test, hosted at the county’s Cardiff ground last season, which resulted in a loss of £1.2m.”Our 2011 results put into perspective the financial challenges the club has faced over the past few years,” chief executive Alan Hamer said. “The challenging economic environment and the burden of servicing the debts were compounded by the losses incurred in staging last year’s England v Sri Lanka Test match and further one-off charges. If you exclude these, the underlying performance of the business was comparable to the previous year.””Whilst last year’s financial results were extremely disappointing, the club’s financial future looks much improved and our accounts have been given a clean bill of health by our auditors.”Earlier this month, Glamorgan reorganised their loan repayments, as well as secured £1.3m in funding from a group of private investors. Despite being deprived of hosting a Test on West Indies’ tour this summer, Cardiff was awarded an Ashes Test for 2015. Glamorgan will stage 17 days of international cricket over the next five years, starting with an England ODI against South Africa in August.Chairman Barry O’Brien added: “Over the past 12 months, the club has had to deal with some significant challenges. Action has now been taken to address these and the other factors contributing to the losses incurred in 2011. The recent announcement confirming that the club had successfully restructured its finances will have a material beneficial impact on the club’s future financial performance. We can look forward to 2012 and beyond with renewed confidence.”

Internet rumours that suggested Chris Cairns had been involved in match-fixing during his time with the Indian Cricket League had made him “barking” angry, according to his advisor Andrew Fitch-Holland, who gave evidence on the third day of Cairns’ libel

Alan Gardner at the Royal Courts of Justice07-Mar-2012Internet rumours that suggested Chris Cairns had been involved in match-fixing during his time with the Indian Cricket League (ICL) had made him “barking” angry, according to his advisor Andrew Fitch-Holland, who gave evidence on the third day of Cairns’ libel action against Lalit Modi.Cairns is suing Modi for defamation over a 2010 tweet that implicated him in corruption. He has vigorously denied claims of fixing. Cairns, the retired New Zealand international, captained Chandigarh Lions in the ICL for three seasons before having his contract cancelled, officially for failing to disclose an injury.Following the meeting with ICL officials in 2008 that led to his dismissal, Cairns became aware of online gossip linking his departure with match-fixing. The rumours had appeared on a “plethora of fan-based websites across the world,” Fitch-Holland said.Although Cairns was concerned about this, Fitch-Holland said he advised that he “did not think it was a good idea to call out the big guns” at that time.”It would have been a disproportionate response to low-level, unspecified tittle-tattle,” he said. However, he contrasted this with the allegations made in Modi’s tweet.”There is a massive difference between that and your client saying it,” Fitch-Holland said, in response to questioning from Ronald Thwaites QC, representing Modi. Fitch-Holland added that he had spoken to major media outlets in the UK during late 2008 to reiterate that Cairns had been sacked by the ICL over an ankle injury.The court also heard from Cairns’ wife, Mel. Describing the moment she asked Cairns if he had been involved in fixing, she said it was “the most horrible question I have ever had to ask”. Cairns had replied “absolutely not”, she said. There were tears in her eyes as she answered Thwaites’ question as to whether she believed him.”When something is said, over and over, accusing the man that you love of something … Of course I want to believe him and I do believe him,” she said.Fitch-Holland was the last witness to appear for Cairns. Later on Wednesday the court will hear evidence from Howard Beer, the former ICL anti-corruption officer, who is appearing on behalf of Modi.

The Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) has formed a panel to investigate a domestic Twenty20 match last month between Karachi Zebras and Peshawar Panthers over allegations of suspect play

Umar Farooq14-Apr-2012The Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) has formed a panel to investigate a domestic Twenty20 match last month between Karachi Zebras and Peshawar Panthers over allegations of suspect play.The association held an executive council meeting in which former KCCA secretary Ejaz Faruqi was nominated to head the panel to investigate the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup match that the Zebras lost by 31 runs against a weakened Peshawar. Peshawar made 158, their highest total of the tournament, and the victory led them to the semi-finals and eliminated the Zebras.”There are a lot of observations on the particular match against Peshawar,” Faruqi told ESPNcricinfo. “KCCA in its general body meeting understood that the suspect match has to be investigated. We’ll make sure that this case is thoroughly investigated with great care.”We don’t want to destroy anyone’s career but if we find any wrongdoings, those involved will be dealt with severely. I don’t know if it was fixing for money or players underperformed for particular reason or it merely could be an allegation but we are definitely looking into it and it’s our responsibility to clarify the status of the match.”Peshawar, a relatively weak team, missed their star player Umar Gul, who sat out the match because of a finger injury but returned to play the semi-final. “The KCCA move is underestimating the Peshawar side,” Wasel Durrani, Peshawar regional head, told ESPNcricinfo. “We won the game on our own capacity and Twenty20 is a format where any weaker team can turn the table.”The PCB has an anti-corruption code at the domestic level, but its media manager and director of domestic cricket both refused to comment on the probe by the KCCA.”It’s a very sensitive matter and we have to take it very carefully,” KCCA president, Sirajul Islam Bhukhari, said. “We got reports of foul play from our side and this has been discussed in our council meeting yesterday and we decided to launch an investigation. We have formed a panel that has reputed people in it to investigate, so whatever the panel finds will be accepted.”Pakistan has had several fixing controversies in the recent past. Last November, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were found guilty of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments at Southwark Crown Court in London. Earlier this month, the ECB decided to bring disciplinary proceedings against legspinner Danish Kaneria in relation to spot-fixing allegations.

Even in the face of a tall target and a top-order failure, Kings XI Punjab and David Hussey never lost faith

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran13-May-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Gurkeerat Singh powered 29 off 12 to seal the victory•AFP

For the second match in a day, the hero was a cricketer who was a complete unknown, playing his second game of the tournament. In the afternoon, Rajasthan Royals’ offspinner Ajit Chandila took the first hat-trick of the season and the wind out of Pune Warriors’ chase and in the second game, it was 21-year-old Gurkeerat Singh who handed Deccan Chargers their fifth last-over defeat of the season with an ice-cool display of hitting.Chargers seemed to have the game in control for much of the time. First, their two most consistent batsmen, Shikhar Dhawan and Cameron White, added to their rapidly growing collection of half-centuries this season to lift Chargers to their second highest total of 2012. And soon after Azhar Mahmood was dismissed in the 13th over of the chase, the asking-rate was rocketing past 13, with David Hussey as the only recognised batsman remaining. Still, as they have so often this season, Chargers managed to make a hash of it, and end up on the losing side.The first signs of trouble for Chargers came in the 15th over from Amit Mishra, when Hussey hammered a couple of leg-side sixes as Kings XI looted 21 off it. Madhya Pradesh seamer TP Sudhindra then seemed to have pulled things back with a yorker-filled over that went only for five in the first five deliveries, but he missed his length off the final ball and Hussey promptly dispatched it for a straight six.Fifty needed off four overs and time for Chargers to turn to their most potent weapon, Dale Steyn. He delivered with two wickets in his comeback over, though Piyush Chawla got a couple of audacious boundaries off it. When Hussey muscled a slower one from Daniel Christian for six early in the 18th over, everyone thought the outcome of the game would depend on Hussey. Instead, there were no more boundaries from Hussey and most of the runs came from Gurkeerat.First, Christian was drilled down the ground for four and then a fearless attempt to paddle a ball from outside off resulted in a streaky four off the thigh pad. Steyn has combusted on a couple of occasions at the death this season, and has been unhittable on others. This time he was back at his best-bowler-in-the-world mode, conceding just four singles off the first five balls, though the pressure on him was evident from the expletive-infused outburst at a fielder for shying at the stumps. The last ball of the over was a low full toss that Gurkeerat somehow squeezed behind point for a boundary, making it 16 required off the final over.With Christian and Steyn having bowled out, Kumar Sangakkara had to choose between legspinner Mishra and quick bowler Manpreet Gony, and he picked Gony. Chargers’ fielding seemed to have cost them on the first ball when a fumble allowed Hussey to return for two and retain the strike, but Hussey could only take a single off the next.Gurkeerat was unfazed by the task at hand, clubbing the next ball over midwicket for six before placing the fourth delivery to the sweeper cover boundary. Two more were taken off the penultimate delivery, levelling the scores. Sangakkara brought in all his fielders, but Gony opted to go with the bouncer, which was probably the wrong option as Hussey could have scampered a bye even if Gurkeerat missed. Gurkeerat didn’t though, getting an edge as he pulled it to the fine leg boundary to deliver victory that tightens the table – the top seven teams are only four points apart.The late heroics were needed as Christian had taken two early wickets, including the crucial one of Shaun Marsh, to stall the chase. Mahmood then helped Kings XI gain ground with a quick 31, then the baton was taken by Hussey who speeded up the innings further before Gurkeerat provided the final burst.Earlier – considering the three tough games remaining for them – Kings XI seemed to have blown their chances with an amateurish effort in the field. Two simple catches offered by White were put down and there were numerous fumbles as Chargers built up a big score.Parthiv Patel featured in a brisk opening stand and Christian showed off his hitting skills at the death, but the innings revolved around a 96-run stand between Dhawan and White. The pair set a scorching pace, scoring at nearly 10 an over, and despite another underwhelming performance from Sangakkara, Chargers put up what looked like a winning score. Once again, though, repeating a familiar story from their season, they managed to go down despite controlling a big chunk of the match.

Hampshire’s Australian batsman Glenn Maxwell produced another explosive innings to carry Hampshire to victory in the Twenty20 South group clash against Essex at Chelmsford.

30-Jun-2012
ScorecardGlenn Maxwell produced another explosive innings to carry Hampshire to victory in the Twenty20 South group clash against Essex at Chelmsford. The 23-year-old Australian smashed an unbeaten 60 from only 24 balls as the visitors overhauled their opponents’ total of 176 for 4 with six wickets and 12 balls to spare.Thirty of those came in one over against left-arm spinner Tim Phillips, the 17th of the innings. Maxwell smashed him for three sixes, all of which went out of the ground, and he was to win the match with his fourth, a mighty blow over mid-wicket against Graham Napier.Keeping him company during the blitz which also included six fours, was Simon Katich. He stroked the ball around in a more orthodox manner while scoring 42 from 38 balls and taking part in an unbroken stand of 83 in six overs.Maxwell’s explosion of shots came a few days after he struck a match-winning 66 from 32 balls in the victory over Kent and leaves Hampshire well on course for a place in the quarter-finals.Essex had looked set for a much bigger total as openers James Franklin and Mark Pettini scored at around 10 an over during an opening stand of 83, brought to an end when slow left-armer Liam Dawson had Pettini caught in the deep for 38.Pettini’s effort off 26 balls contained three sixes but it was Franklin who went on to play the starring role with an innings full of quality. His 78 from a 49 deliveries included five sixes and he was looking set for a century when he drove Sean Ervine into the hands of James Vince at long-on.James Foster predictably added momentum late on with a quickfire unbeaten 30 from only 14 balls, striking two sixes in the final over of the innings sent down by Maxwell. But Maxwell was to have the final word.

Tatenda Taibu, the Zimbabwe wicketkeeper-batsman, has announced his retirement, stating that he wants to focus on working for the church

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2012Tatenda Taibu, the Zimbabwe wicketkeeper-batsman, has announced his retirement, stating that he wants to focus on working for the church. Taibu played 28 Tests and 150 ODIs for Zimbabwe and has quit aged only 29, usually a cricketer’s prime.The decision comes as even more of a surprise as, earlier in the day, he was named in Zimbabwe’s provisional squad for September’s World Twenty20. It ends an 11-year international career, during which he became the youngest Test captain in history. A finger injury kept him out of top-flight cricket since the tour of New Zealand early this year.”I just feel that my true calling now lies in doing the Lord’s work,” Taibu said, “and although I am fortunate and proud to have played for my country, the time has come for me to put my entire focus on that part of my life.”Since making his debut at the age of 18 in 2001, Taibu was an automatic pick for Zimbabwe, except for the times when he clashed with his country’s cricket board. He had stepped down as captain and quit the national side back in 2005 following threats against his family. Taibu moved to South Africa in 2006 with the intention of going through the four-year qualification process to be eligible for international cricket for them. However, he reappeared for Zimbabwe in 2007.One of the highlights of his career was his Man-of-the-Match performance in 2005 against Bangladesh, when he made 85* and 153 to help Zimbabwe draw the Test. His only other Test victory was against Bangladesh last year, when Zimbabwe returned to the format after a six-year exile. Taibu’s outspoken nature was highlighted before that match as he slammed the board for not doing enough to promote cricket in the country.He was picked while still in his teens as a potential long-term successor as wicketkeeper-batsman to Andy Flower, and while he didn’t reach the heights Flower did, he forged a solid career. He finishes as the country’s fourth-highest run-getter in ODIs, and only Flower has effected more dismissals than him as a one-day wicketkeeper for Zimbabwe.