Having relinquished wicketkeeping duties in Test cricket, Brendon McCullum is looking to reinvent his role in the New Zealand side by moving up the order as an unorthodox opener in the longest format

Cricinfo staff23-Jul-2010Having relinquished wicketkeeping duties in Test cricket in order to ease the strain on his body, Brendon McCullum is looking to reinvent his role in the New Zealand side by moving up the order as an unorthodox opener in the longest format.”I wouldn’t play conventionally. There are a lot of aggressive Test openers around now. It’s probably something we haven’t really looked at,” McCullum told the in Wellington. “I’m not saying it’s going to work, but I’m going to give it everything I’ve got to try and make it work.”McCullum’s ambition is not without precedent – batsmen such as Virender Sehwag, Matthew Hayden, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chris Gayle and Tamim Iqbal have reinvented the role of an opening batsman in Test matches with their attacking intent. McCullum has been a staple at the top of the order for New Zealand in the shorter versions of the game where he is recognized as a dangerous batsman, with averages of 29.01 in ODIs and 33.33 in Twenty20s at enviable strike rates. His Test record is less impressive with 2862 runs at 34.90 in 52 matches, most of the runs coming from the number seven spot.In recent times, the Test opening slots have been a major problem area for New Zealand, having tried 14 different batsmen at the top since 2005 without much success. They are likely to maintain the opening combination of Tim McIntosh and BJ Watling for their next assignment in Bangladesh. McCullum is not fixated on opening the batting and is confident of making an impact from the number three position too.”One, two or three are probably the same. I don’t mind where. It won’t be the stock-standard blunt the ball at the top of the order. I’ve got to stick to my strengths and if we’re totally honest it probably hasn’t worked in the past, the way we’ve been playing. Why not try something different?”New Zealand will be without McCullum’s services during the upcoming tri-series in Sri Lanka, also involving India. He will be missing from the starting line-up after 209 successive international appearances as he recovers from a clean-up surgery on his left knee. The break coincides with the birth of his second child.”The last time I missed a game was for the birth of my boy [Riley, in 2004]. This isn’t the reason I’m missing this tour but to have a girl and have an unbroken stretch in between is pretty cool,” McCullum said.

Afghanistan climbed to the top of the Intercontinental Cup table with a resounding win over Scotland, whom they displaced, on the fifth day in Ayr

Cricinfo staff14-Aug-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Hamid Hassan finished with 11 wickets in the match•International Cricket Council

Afghanistan climbed to the top of the Intercontinental Cup table with a resounding win over Scotland, whom they displaced, on the fifth day in Ayr. Medium-pacer Hamid Hassan bagged five wickets to help Afghanistan beat their opponents, who had been set a target of 546, by 229 runs.Afghanistan had bagged two wickets by the end of the third day but Scotland put in an improved performance in their second innings to make the bowlers fight for their wickets. Ewan Chalmers top scored with 67 and the middle and lower orders chipped in with important contributions, though in vain.Scotland lost three wickets in quick succession, leaving too much for their lower order to achieve. Richie Berrington and Qasim Sheikh were dismissed by Abdullah, who bowled a miserly spell of ten overs, conceding just six runs and grabbing two wickets. Chalmers fell with the score on 158 and though the rest built promising partnerships, Hassan chipped away at them to secure a mammoth win.Moneeb Iqbal contributed a patient 42, so did Matthew Parker and the last five wickets added 158 but the target they had been set proved way beyond them. Hassan completed a memorable game, finishing with 11 wickets. He had grabbed 6 for 40 in the first innings to give his team a decisive advantage in the contest.Reflecting on his performance, Hassan said, “It was a big achievement for me to get a 10-wicket haul but I just focused on getting a victory for my team. In the first innings, I bowled very well as the ball was swinging both ways, which is why their batting collapsed. In the second innings they batted with confidence and gave themselves a real chance of drawing the match. But we were very determined to win the match and go top of the table.”I was very worried about my ankle and I bowled 27 overs with the injury. But everybody was trying very hard to take wickets. I said to my colleagues that I was going to take a risk with my injury and do whatever it takes to take the wickets. The doctor told me not to bowl, but I wanted to, so he bandaged my ankle up to my knee which is why I was able to bowl. It was a very good game and I am very pleased with my performance.”Everybody worked very hard in batting and bowling and we all gave it 100 per cent. We will be trying our best to get in the final and bring the ICC Intercontinental Cup back to Afghanistan.”Hassan said four-day cricket required a lot of patience and one needed to focus on all the areas of one’s game. “You have to concentrate on bowling really good balls to get the batters out, while our batters have learnt to wait to hit the loose ball. For me, it is an enjoyable form of the game as you have to learn to be patient and we have learnt lots of things. It is good for us to play four-day cricket as it helps us improve in one-day cricket as well.”

VVS Laxman has said his century was a very important innings and that he has learnt to ignore the critics who question his place in the side

Sidharth Monga at the P Sara Oval07-Aug-2010VVS Laxman has spent almost all his career as the most disposable member of the team. He has one bad Test, and the knives come out. Fans and critics alike find Laxman’s the easiest place to question. Thankfully, his team-mates and the selectors know his worth. Easily India’s best batsman on bad or testing pitches, he rescued India once again, following his fifty in the first innings with a match-winning, series-levelling, flawless century on a tense final day.”I have had it [people questioning my place in the side] since the start of the career,” Laxman said, laughing. “I have started dealing with them much better. But what matters really is how the team feels about you. And there is no doubt that the team members feel how important my contribution to the team is. I really don’t think [about] what the people are thinking outside the dressing room.”Initially it was tough to play with that insecurity feeling. Sometimes I imagined that if [I had been] given a free hand, I would have probably got much more runs. But after the first four-five years of international cricket I started dealing with it much better and now these things don’t really bother me. I have played more that 100 Test matches, which very few in India do.”

Sachin Tendulkar on Laxman

“Laxman played well in both innings. The context becomes even more important since it was the decisive Test. Even if it was a draw, we would have lost the series but the manner in which he helped us level the series, it was phenomenal. The kind of innings he played in both knocks was remarkable. I have seen Laxman bat for many years and I have seen plenty of such knocks. He has scored on difficult tracks and helped India win. Just like the spectators enjoy it, I also enjoy his batting.”

Laxman has rescued India before, in more challenging conditions too, but he rated this as an important knock. “This innings stands out because of the situation we were in not only in this Test but also in the series,” he said. “The way we came back and won the Test. The partnership between me and Sachin [Tendulkar] changed the momentum of the game. Very satisfying feeling. More importantly feels good for the team because we really worked hard during the entire tour.”Laxman had not only two good spinners and Lasith Malinga to contend with, but also the pain that the back spasms that he developed while fielding during the fourth day brought him. He got treatment on the field, took painkillers, but the medicines have limitations. They don’t kick in immediately. He just had to forget about that pain.”It was painful,” Laxman admitted. “I stared my innings well, but during the partnership I had a lot of discomfort and the spasms didn’t allow me to move freely. Once I was into my 30s it became very painful.”It was difficult [the decision to ask for a runner]. You don’t want to create confusion and also not break the rhythm. If you see, Sachin got out once I took the runner. But I was in such pain that I thought that the best decision in team’s interest was to have a runner instead of just giving away the wicket due to pain.”It was an extra sweet feeling because at the same venue two years ago, Laxman fought pain from an injured ankle, scored a valiant 61 not out with the tail, but it proved to be agonisingly inadequate in the third innings of that match. He spoke more about playing in pain in this match.”During the game I took a couple of painkillers,” Laxman said. “Nitin [Patel, team physio] came and gave me a quick treatment. But I don’t know how much the pills helped as it takes 30-40 minutes before the painkillers start to show their effects. But the situation and the importance of the game, sometimes supersedes your pain. Sometimes you just focus on the process and goal in hand and it takes you over the pain barrier.”

A middle-order collapse, during which Canada lost four wickets for two runs, allowed Ireland to dismiss the hosts cheaply and take a sizeable first-innings lead

Cricinfo staff01-Sep-2010
ScorecardA middle-order collapse, during which Canada lost four wickets for two runs, allowed Ireland to dismiss the hosts cheaply and take a sizeable first-innings lead on the opening day of their Intercontinental Cup match in Toronto. Trent Johnston’s third five-wicket haul was instrumental in limiting Canada to 120, after which Kevin O’Brien’s half-century put Ireland ahead by 70 at stumps.Canada’s decision to bat backfired immediately as both their openers, Ruvindu Gunasekera and Nitish Kumar, were dismissed for 1 each by fast bowler Allan Eastwood. Zubin Surkari and Ashish Bagai began to stage a recovery by adding 53 for the third wicket, but their efforts were unravelled by the collapse, by the end of which Canada were 60 for 6. Johnston took three of those wickets and later dismissed Khurram Chohan and Abzal Dean to finish with 5 for 23. Ireland’s wicketkeeper Rory McCann played an important part in the performance as well, catching five Canada batsmen.Ireland’s innings had a pacy start because of Paul Stirling, who scored 45 off 42 balls. The first-wicket partnership was worth 42, out of which McCann contributed only 4 before he was caught off Chohan. Stirling went shortly after, and Ireland were 58 for 2, but the middle-order batsmen weighed in with useful contributions to cruise past Canada’s total. Andre Botha made 39, O’Brien struck 11 fours in his 57, and Andrew White remained unbeaten on 30 as Ireland ended the day on 190 for 4.

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.”