Former Lancashire keeper John Lyon dies

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John Lyon, the former Lancashire wicket keeper, died in South Africa over the Christmas holidays.

Cricinfo staff04-Jan-2010John Lyon, the former Lancashire wicket keeper, died in South Africa over the Christmas holidays. He was 58.Lyon played 84 matches for Lancashire between 1973 and 1979, initially as a replacement for Farokh Engineer before becoming the first choice for his last three seasons, taking 159 catches and making 12 stumpings. Although he was a limited lower-order batsman, he did score a first-class hundred against Warwickshire in 1979 along with Bob Ratcliffe, who also made his only first-class century.Lyon then had a marked impact on Irish cricket, initially with Bangor and then Clontarf where he proved highly successful as a coach.He subsequently emigrated to South Africa where he ran a sports bar while continuing to coach.

ECB begin search for bowling coach

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The ECB will begin their search for a replacement bowling coach after Ottis Gibson was released from his contract to take up the head coach’s role with West Indies

Cricinfo staff02-Feb-2010The ECB will begin their search for a replacement bowling coach after Ottis Gibson was released from his contract to take up the head coach’s role with West Indies. England leave for Dubai in mid-February for two Twenty20s against Pakistan before heading onto Bangladesh for a one-day and Test tour, and it seems unlikely a full-time appointment will be made in time for that trip.Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, and head coach Andy Flower will lead the search for Gibson’s replacement. “There has been much speculation in the last few days about the role of fast bowling coach,” Morris said, “but now Ottis has confirmed his departure, Andy Flower and I will begin the process of identifying the right individual who can join the England set up and build on the foundation laid by Ottis.”Gibson had become a well-respected member of England’s growing backroom staff and had been credited with the improving performances of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graham Onions. The England quick bowlers often spoke highly of Gibson who was the first man to successfully fill the hole left by Troy Cooley’s departure following the 2005 Ashes series.”I think Ottis has done a pretty good job,” the former England seamer, Angus Fraser, told Cricinfo. “He’s been quiet and undemonstrative, and he’s just gone about his business. He never sought the limelight and he had the respect of his players, which you do when you’ve had a good career yourself, and he dealt with them in a very mature way.”The ECB will want a high-calibre appointment to fill the vacancy and their search could well lead them back to South Africa, a country that has proved a popular source of players and coaches in recent times. Allan Donald is likely to be sounded out over his availability and is certainly one of the stand-out candidates currently not in a role, having missed out on the India bowling role that recently went to his fellow South African, Eric Simons.Donald held an interim role with England in 2007 but turned down the full-time position because of the touring commitments involved, and instead returned to Warwickshire. However, he left county cricket at the end of the 2009 season because of family reasons and returned home, and it remains to be seen whether he would be willing to uproot his young family again.Another option the ECB may consider is Donald’s former team-mate Shaun Pollock, who has taken his first steps into coaching with the Mumbai Indians at the IPL. It is also possible that South Africa’s current bowling coach, Vincent Barnes, could well be looking for a new job after the tour of India if the upheaval in the South African coaching structure continues.There aren’t many candidates from closer to home making huge cases to be considered. Kevin Shine held the position after Cooley departed and is now in charge of the fast bowling programme at the National Academy in Loughborough, but remains tainted by his back-room role during the 2006-07 Ashes whitewash in Australia.From those not currently in the coaching set-up, Darren Gough would make an interesting choice, particularly when it comes to the art of one-day cricket, although his lifestyle has moved away from cricket since retirement. Meanwhile Phil DeFreitas, the former England seamer, was in the running when Shine got the job in 2006.”The most important factor in who they pick now is that they find someone who fits in with what Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower want to achieve,” added Fraser.

Delhi court reinforces ICL decision

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The Delhi High Court has reinforced its earlier decision that Essel Sports, promoters of the ICL, cannot sue the Indian board (BCCI) in British Courts

Cricinfo staff04-Feb-2010The Delhi High Court has reinforced its earlier decision of barring the ICL from suing the BCCI in British courts. However, the ICL has claimed that the courts have given them the go-ahead to initiate action against the ICC and the ECB in London Courts.Essel Sports, the promoters of the ICL, had, in November, served a legal notice, seeking various reliefs including restraint orders and damages against the BCCI, the ECB and the ICC for boycotting the ICL. The notice said that if the league did not receive a “full and satisfactory substantive response” from the BCCI by December 7, it would file proceedings in the London court. The Delhi High Court, on December 8, disallowed the ICL from pursuing the case in London.The BCCI, in response to the ICL’s legal notice, had filed a plea for an anti-suit injunction against the league before the Delhi High Court, which retained its earlier decision.”In a suit filed by the BCCI before the Delhi High Court for an anti-suit injunction against Essel Sports Pvt. Ltd. (Indian Cricket League), the Delhi High Court today held that the attempt of Essel Sports (ICL) to file a suit in the Courts of the UK against the BCCI, when a suit by Essel was already pending in the Delhi High Court based on similar causes of action, was ‘unconscionable'”, said the BCCI in a statement.However, the ICL can initiate action against the English board and the ICC in UK courts. “An Order has been passed in the Delhi High court in the matter BCCI vs Essel Sports Pvt. Ltd. (Indian Cricket League) stating that ESPL is free to initiate action against ICC and ECB in London Courts,” said the ICL in a statement.The Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) – a players’ lobby group – had questioned how the ICL could go ahead with the legal costs of suing the various boards while it owed the players “millions of dollars”. Most recently, the Pakistan players who were involved in the ICL filed a legal notice against the league over payments due to them since December 2008.

Australia romp to 125-run triumph

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In a summer of big one-day wins, Australia saved their heftiest victory for last.

The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale at the MCG19-Feb-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJames Hopes provided some highlights with a 24-ball half-century•Getty Images

In a summer of big one-day wins, Australia saved one of their heftiest victories for last. After Ricky Ponting, James Hopes and Shane Watson set up a daunting 5 for 324, Doug Bollinger continued his torment of Chris Gayle and the West Indies top order crumbled – again – to leave the crowd in no doubt about the approaching result less than five overs in to the chase.The 125-run triumph maintained Australia’s chances of going through the summer undefeated in all forms of the game, with two Twenty20s against West Indies all that remain. Already they have equalled their effort of 2000-01, the only other home season when they did not lose a Test or ODI. Back then the team boasted Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist and Mark Waugh, and faced West Indies and Zimbabwe.The developing Australia of this summer will be extra pleased with their record, although their opponents Pakistan and West Indies have been weak. Here West Indies dropped five catches and for the third time in the series they were three down by the end of the fifth over. Little wonder that at the end of a string of such one-sided contests, only 15,538 fans turned up – the fewest ever for an ODI between the two teams at the MCG.Those who did attend saw Bollinger snuff out West Indies’ chances when he picked up Gayle’s wicket for the sixth time in seven matches this summer. The only Test or ODI in which he failed to do so was the Sydney wash-out, when West Indies batted for six balls. Two top-edged sixes from Gayle were followed by a leading edge to cover and Bollinger had two wickets having trapped Travis Dowlin lbw from the second ball of the chase.Ryan Harris added Narsingh Deonarine, who played on for 4, and Wavell Hinds, who gave Steven Smith his first ODI catch. Kieron Pollard’s 45 featured two sixes but when he holed out to Smith in the deep off Hopes, all that was left for the crowd to look forward to was Smith’s maiden wicket, an lbw against Denesh Ramdin, and a fighting 47 not out from Darren Sammy. Still, they had been treated to some exciting strokeplay during the Australian innings.Ponting and Watson built the platform with half-centuries before Hopes and Adam Voges blasted them past the 300-mark in the final stages. Their 82-run partnership in 7.1 overs featured superb placement from both men, especially Hopes, who struck ten fours and found the gaps with ease. He made his third ODI half-century and took only 24 balls to do it, giving him the fifth-quickest one-day fifty by an Australian.Hopes finished unbeaten on 57 while Voges remained not out on 45. Hopes was put down at long-on by Hinds late in the innings and it continued a woeful fielding effort from West Indies. The selectors also made the strange decision to make no changes to the side that lost in Brisbane, despite the strike bowler Kemar Roach being passed fit.It meant that the openers Watson and Brad Haddin were confronted with medium-pace new-ball offerings and they enjoyed hitting through the line, down the ground and over the top. Dwayne Smith and Ravi Rampaul obliged by serving up half-volleys and both men watched sixes sail back over their heads.Watson in particular butchered the bowling and he brought up his half-century from 49 balls with perhaps the best of his three sixes, a searing pull over wide midwicket off Sammy. Two deliveries later Watson tried to work a Sammy full toss into the same region and was taken at deep midwicket for 51. Haddin was the quieter partner but still struck two sixes in his 42-ball 32 before he played on trying to pull Pollard.Michael Clarke and Ponting calmly compiled a 104-run stand that included a couple of sixes but mostly consisted of push-and-run play with the field back. Ponting fell on 61 from 55 balls when he tried to glide Pollard through the vacant cordon and managed only to find the wicketkeeper’s gloves. Clarke’s 58-ball 47 ended when he miscued a pull off Rampaul and skied a catch to mid-on, where Deonarine barely clasped the chance.Deonarine had already dropped Ponting on 47 at square leg when the batsman’s sweep off Nikita Miller stayed a bit low. Ponting was given another life on 55 when Hinds’ throw missed with Ponting a long way out of his ground. Haddin also enjoyed two breaks. On 7, Dowlin dropped a sitter at second slip before two balls later the bowler Smith couldn’t quite hold on to a flat-batted smash back at him. Watson was also grassed on 29 when he flicked Smith to short fine-leg, where Rampaul missed a chance he should have taken.It all combined to mean another easy win for Australia. Gayle predicted at the start of the series that West Indies would beat Australia 4-1; they lost 4-0. But they did win the tosses 4-1.

Naved to appeal against PCB ban

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Pakistan fast bowler Naved-ul-Hasan will be appealing against the one-year ban and the Rs 2-million fine slapped on him by the PCB

Cricinfo staff20-Mar-2010Pakistan fast bowler Naved-ul-Hasan will be appealing against the one-year ban and the Rs 2-million fine slapped on him by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).Naved, 32, was one of the seven leading players punished by the board following Pakistan’s disastrous tour of Australia, where they lost the three Tests, five ODIs and the lone Twenty20 international. He was also denied a central contract by the board yesterday, and said he would submit his appeal in a couple of days’ time.”I have been preparing the response papers with my representatives and they will be ready in a couple of days’ time,” Naved told .He said he was also in possession of the report prepared by the inquiry committee. “Yes I have the report and have read it. The only reason why they have banned me is due to underperformance. They felt that my performance on the tour of Australia was below par. I always give 100% effort every time I take the field, it doesn’t matter who I am playing for, I always give my all”.”If necessary I will take my appeal papers by hand and meet whoever I need to from the board to discuss these matters. I hope the situation is resolved soon and I can recommence my career for Pakistan”.Reports also suggest that former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik, who was handed a ban similar to Naved’s, would also make an appeal. Though the PCB has not revealed the nature of charges against Malik, it is thought that his role in creating unrest within the side during the tour, among other things, came under scrutiny.”I will fight against the ban and go to every possible platform to prove my innocence. I want to prove my innocence as there have been no cases of indiscipline in my 11-year career,” Malik told AFP.The PCB on Thursday sent letters to the banned players, explaining the committee’s findings, and gave them a 30-day period within which they can appeal against the charges.Both players, however, have been granted permission by the board to play in a domestic Twenty20 league in Bangladesh, just two days after Mohammad Yousuf, another banned player, was allowed to play in the country.

Afridi asks senior players to lead by example

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Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain has urged all the senior members of the team to lead by example and encourage the younger players to give their best in the forthcoming ICC World Twenty20

Cricinfo staff02-Apr-2010Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi has urged his senior team-mates to inspire the younger players through example in the forthcoming ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies. Afridi was appointed captain after Mohammad Yousuf was banned by the PCB and later announced his retirement from international cricket.”I believe that the main responsibility will be on the senior players. They are ones who have enough experience of playing in top-level events like the World Cup,” Afridi told the . “Our senior players like Abdul Razzaq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul and Kamran Akmal will have to come out with their best in the West Indies. They are the ones who can inspire the young boys in our team to shine in the tournament.”Pakistan are the defending champions and Afridi said a second title triumph would be the best way to erase the bad memories of the recent past. Pakistan experienced one of their worst away tours, losing all three Tests, five ODIs and the one-off Twenty20 in Australia. The PCB came down heavily on the players it believed were responsible for their poor performance, handing out life bans to Yousuf and Younis Khan and one-year bans to Shoaib Malik and Naved-ul-Hasan. Afridi and the Akmal brothers were fined for various misdemeanours and put on six-month probations.”We all know that Pakistan needs good news on the cricket field. If we win the World Cup again, we will be able to make millions of our countrymen happy,” he said. “That is why I’m urging my team-mates to give their 100% effort in the training camp and later in the World Cup. I need them to fight like a unit because that’s the only way to win a major event like the World Cup.”Despite the shoddy results in Australia, where they failed to capitalize on winning positions, Afridi backed his team to bounce back in the Caribbean. “I’m not making any promises which is why I won’t say that we would go out their and lift the World Cup,” he said. “But what I want to make crystal clear is that we have to play for the country and if we do that then anything is possible.He was also pleased with the two latest appointments to the coaching staff, Waqar Younis as coach and Ijaz Ahmed as his assistant. “Both Waqar and Ijaz are really good coaches. They know how to get the best out of the players. They are making us go that extra mile in the camp and that’s a very positive change.”Pakistan are placed in Group A with Bangladesh and Australia. They begin their campaign against Bangladesh on May 1 in St Lucia.

Broad backs England to end drought

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Stuart Broad believes that the World Twenty20 offers England their best opportunity yet to end their 35-year hunt for a major ICC Trophy, and feels that his personal preparation since last month’s tour of Bangladesh has left him at the peak of his form an

Cricinfo staff27-Apr-2010Stuart Broad believes that the World Twenty20 offers England their best opportunity yet to end their 35-year hunt for a major ICC Trophy, and feels that his personal preparation since last month’s tour of Bangladesh has left him at the peak of his form and fitness.Broad was made to work hard for his wickets on flat surfaces in Bangladesh, having overcome a worrying back spasm that had left his participation in the first Test in doubt. But following a month’s break, he confirmed his readiness for further international action by taking eight wickets in Nottinghamshire’s Championship victory over Somerset last week.”I feel great,” Broad told reporters in Barbados. “The rest was fantastic after Bangladesh to make sure the body got rid of all the niggles. Then this last week it was a fantastic experience helping Notts win and get some overs under my belt. I feel really fresh and excited about what we can do in this tournament.”Broad will be embarking on his third World Twenty20 campaign, and he has endured mixed fortunes in his previous outings – from being cracked for six sixes in an over by Yuvraj Singh in Durban in 2007, to his role in the embarrassing defeat by the Netherlands in last year’s tournament opener. Nevertheless, those experiences have taught him how quickly and easily a team can regroup in this format.”We obviously stumbled against the Netherlands,” he said. “But the great thing about this tournament is you can recover from that , and we qualified after beating Pakistan pretty convincingly and were actually quite unfortunate losing in a rain-affected game [against West Indies], where the Duckworth-Lewis stuffed us a bit.”England do not have home advantage to fall back on this time around, but they gained plenty of experience during their eventful tour of the Caribbean last year, in which they bounced back from a 1-0 defeat in the Test series to win their first limited-overs series in the West Indies.”If we can use the knowledge we gained here last year, I think we can go far,” said Broad. “I think we’ve got a really well-balanced squad here, batters who can hit boundaries all the way through the order, good spinners – and I think the team is really excited about our prospects. This is one of the best chances an England squad has had since I’ve been involved in an ICC event. We’ve got the players to do the business.”Five of England’s batsmen go into the tournament with IPL experience under their belt, although none of the bowlers put themselves forward for the same opportunity – a fact that Kevin Pietersen questioned in a recent interview. However, Broad was unrepentant about taking a break rather than seek the extra knowhow on offer.”Obviously, I want to experience the IPL at some stage, it looks a fantastic tournament,” he said. “Every player involved in it has only got good words to say. But I am pleased I had the rest this time.”

Series reshaped after floodlights deemed unfit

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The Twenty20 series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Florida has been reshaped after the ICC declared that the floodlights at the Broward County Regional Park, the venue, were unfit for hosting international cricket

Cricinfo staff14-May-2010The Twenty20 series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Florida – the first international series between two full ICC members to take place in the USA – has been reshaped after the ICC declared that the floodlights at the Broward County Regional Park, the venue, were unfit for hosting international cricket. The schedule will now involve New Zealand taking on Sri Lanka twice over the weekend in addition to two Twenty20 games between USA and Jamaica, who also play a 50-over one-day game on May 21.”Ideally the inaugural game in the Pearls Cup series would have been a night game on Thursday,” New Zealand Cricket CEO Justin Vaughan said. “The lights at the stadium are fine for most levels of cricket, but they need to be of a higher standard for the playing and broadcast of international cricket.”And added to this, there is a high probability of rain and thunderstorms in the region on Thursday which added weight to our decision. Because of these factors, we have decided, along with our partner USA Cricket, to focus all of the attention on the weekend with the two double headers as well a full one-day international between USA and Jamaica on Friday the 21st.”The original plan was for a three-match Twenty20 series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, which had been reduced to two back-to-back fixtures on May 21 and 22.According to Don Lockerbie, the chief executive of USACA, the decision to cancel the opening fixture, scheduled for May 19, was taken in the interests of promoting USA cricket in the best possible light, with a thunderstorm threatening to wash out the opening fixture and damage the image of the sport as it seeks to find its niche in a new and untapped market.”The original match was scheduled under lights, and we wanted to move it to the afternoon, but that’s tough to pull off on an American working week,” Lockerbie told Cricinfo. “We feel it’s better to start with a big bang on the weekend, because it’s about the USA and our strategic partner, New Zealand, trying to figure out what’s best to grow cricket in our country.”However, Lockerbie played down suggestions that the decision had been made as a cost-cutting measure, following reports of poor ticket sales and low levels of sponsor interest.
“This is really an important weekend for us,” said Lockerbie. “We want to show the world we are open for business, and show that these teams have made a wise choice to come and play cricket in the US. But it’s got to be done prudently. How many events all over the world get set up and then cancelled at the last minute due to inclement weather while the fans are in the stadium and the broadcasters have to talk through the rain? To us, at this stage of our development, that would be worse than making a smart business decision now.”

Stevens named assistant coach for Western Australia

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Lachlan Stevens has beaten a strong field to become Mickey Arthur’s new assistant coach at Western Australia

Cricinfo staff27-May-2010Lachlan Stevens has beaten a strong field to become Mickey Arthur’s new assistant coach at Western Australia. Stevens, who spent several years as a fringe batsman with South Australia and Queensland, was favoured over big names believed to include Jason Gillespie, Allan Donald and Carl Hooper.Despite his relative youth at 31, Stevens has plenty of coaching experience, having taken on the role of high performance coordinator at the Centre of Excellence in 2004. For the past two seasons, he has been assistant to the Queensland coach Trevor Barsby, and his past roles also included a stint as career and education manager with Queensland Rugby Union.”I am excited by the challenge to work with the players of the Retravision Warriors and look forward to helping them to fulfil their potential in the coming seasons,” Stevens said. “I also saw this as a fantastic opportunity to work with Mickey Arthur and learn from one of the leading coaches in world cricket.”Western Australia identified Stevens as a “hands-on” coach who would complement Arthur as he tries to lift the Warriors, who haven’t won any silverware since the 2003-04 one-day trophy. Arthur was confident Stevens would be a good fit with Western Australia.”Lachlan is a very hard worker,” Arthur said. “When you are preparing players to be the very best they can be, it is vital that the coaches set the standard in terms of the level of application required to succeed at interstate level.”

Australia ready for low-key tour opener

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Australia want to begin their tour of the British Isles with a big win against Ireland

Brydon Coverdale16-Jun-2010

Match Facts

Ricky Ponting hasn’t been in action since the tour of New Zealand in March•Getty Images

Thursday, June 17

Start time 1045 (0945 GMT)

The Big Picture

Australia’s six-week tour of the British Isles begins in the understated surrounds of Clontarf in Dublin, where they kick things off with an ODI against Ireland. While Ricky Ponting’s men will be understandably keen to ensure a big victory, the real aim is to shed any winter rust before the five-match series against England.Several of the Australians were in the Caribbean for the World Twenty20 last month, while others have been involved with the IPL since the Australian season ended. But for some, like Ponting and James Hopes, the past two and a half months has been an extended holiday. They don’t want to head to Southampton for the first ODI still rusty, so expect Australia to play their full strength team in this encounter.For Ireland, there’s little to lose. Nobody truly expects them to beat Australia, but their history shows they are capable of upsets if their more fancied opponents fail to show them due respect. Next month they have two more chances to beat a Test-playing side when they host Bangladesh in Belfast, but knocking off Australia would be something special.

Form guide (most recent first)

Ireland LLWWW

Australia LWWWL

Watch out for…

Tim Paine has done everything right when he has been given opportunities in the one-day team. He scored 111 against England at Trent Bridge last year and has also posted three half-centuries in a 17-game career. Paine will have the gloves for at least the limited-overs portion of the tour but is also auditioning for a potential Test debut if Brad Haddin’s elbow injury keeps him from rejoining the squad.A tall fast man who has been identified by the ECB as a potential player of the future, Boyd Rankin will be a key man if Ireland are to restrict Australia’s batsmen. In home conditions, he could be more of a challenge than the Australians anticipate.

Team news

Ireland will be without the 17-year-old spinner George Dockrell, who was highly impressive at the ICC World Twenty20. He is unavailable due to exams and on the eve of the match they also lost the experienced Andre Botha with a suspected stress fracture of the back.Ireland (possible) 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Niall O’Brien (wk), 4 Alex Cusack, 5 Kevin O’Brien, 6 Gary Wilson, 7 Andrew White, 9 John Mooney, 9 Trent Johnston, 10 Peter Connell, 11 Boyd Rankin.Elbow problems have prevented both Mitchell Johnson and Haddin from joining the squad in Ireland. Paine will take the gloves and most likely the opening position, which could mean Shaun Marsh has to wait for his comeback having missed the tour of New Zealand with a back injury. The pace trio of Ryan Harris, Clint McKay and Doug Bollinger will lead the attack in England, so they will all be keen for a decent warm-up. The teenage fast man Josh Hazlewood will probably be running the drinks, with Steven Smith and Nathan Hauritz to battle for the spin position.Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Tim Paine (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Cameron White, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 James Hopes, 8 Steven Smith/Nathan Hauritz, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Pitch and conditions

The Dublin pitch is expected to be slow and low, which will reward stump-to-stump bowling. The forecast is for isolated showers and a top temperature of 21C.

Stats and trivia

  • The two teams have met only once before in a one-day international, when Australia romped to a nine-wicket win at the 2007 World Cup
  • Ireland famously beat Pakistan and Bangladesh in the World Cup in the West Indies, but have not beaten a full ICC member in an ODI since then
  • Ireland are yet to be beaten in an ODI at the Castle Avenue ground in Dublin, where they have had five wins, one no-result and one match abandoned
  • Trent Johnston played five first-class games for New South Wales from 1999 to 2000, and will be lining up against one of his former state team-mates, Michael Clarke

    Quotes

    “If you get ahead of yourself and you’re worrying about England and you don’t pay Ireland the respect they deserve then they can sneak up and bite you.”
    Merv Hughes, the Australian selector on duty”It’s hard for us to look and say, if Australia are tip-top in every area, that we will beat them but if they’re going to screw up at any time then we’re going to be ready for it.”
    Phil Simmons, the coach of Ireland