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A round-up of the fourth day’s play of the seventh-round Group A games of the Ranji Trophy 2013-14

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2013
ScorecardBhargav Merai nearly scored his maiden double-hundred, Venugopal Rao made 111 and No. 10 Rujul Bhatt batted with an injury to earn three points for Gujarat who got five more than Haryana’s first-innings score.Resuming on 314 for 4 with Merai on 115 and Rao on 64, Gujarat eased past 400 as Merai crossed 150 and Rao scored his 14th first-class hundred. But their massive 256-run stand ended when Rao was trapped lbw for 111. Manpreet Juneja didn’t survive for too long as he also fell to offspinner Jayant Yadav, leaving the score at 437 for 6, still 136 behind. Akshar Patel steadied the innings as Merai headed towards his double-ton, but fell short by two runs when he was bowled by Amit Mishra.Akshar and Rakesh Dhurv then took Gujarat past 500 but Mishra halted their charge by getting rid of Dhurv for 17. Bhatt, who had injured himself while fielding on the second day and had not taken the field since, joined Akshar with two fractured fingers. He battled for more than an hour, faced 56 deliveries and scored a vital 26 runs which took Gujarat past Haryana’s 573 after which Bhatt retired hurt. Akshar stayed unbeaten on 69 off 98, which featured nine fours.Bhatt has been advised five weeks’ rest and will miss the next few matches but might play this season again if Gujarat qualify for the knockouts.Read the full report of Mumbai v Odisha here: Natraj ton robs Odisha of winRead the full report of Karnataka v Punjab here: Karnataka win despite Gurkeerat 157

Round-up of the President Cup One-Day Tournament matches on January 11, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2014Seamer Sohail Khan’s five-wicket haul, followed by an unbeaten century from the opener Shahzaib Hasan helped Port Qasim Authority to a comprehensive nine-wicket win over State Bank of Pakistan in Karachi.State Bank, put in to bat, were never really in the game, and lost wickets right from the off. A couple of batsmen made starts, but apart from Gulraiz Sadaf’s 40, there was no other meaningful contribution from anyone else as Sohail ran through the line-up to bundle the team out for 147 and finish with 5 for 20.Port Qasim were always comfortable chasing a paltry total as the openers Shahzaid and Khalid Latif raced to 48 in 4.4 overs. Latif fell for 14, but Shahzaid carried on, scoring predominantly in boundaries. Only 8 of his 112 runs came from running between the wickets, as he blasted 11 fours and 10 sixes to take Port Qasim home in 12.2 overs.Fifties from Fawad Alam and Umar Waheed paved the way for National Bank of Pakistan’s 88-run win against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited in Islamabad.National Bank, put in to bat, were buoyed by starts from all their top-order batsmen, but it was Alam and Waheed’s 110-run association for the fifth wicket that helped them put up 283 for 8 from 45 overs. Waheed struck four fours and a six during his 51, while Alam’s 94 included 11 fours and one six.ZTBL were never convincing in their chase, and lost wickets at regular intervals to slump to 69 for 5 in the 14th over. Abdul Razzaq briefly stopped the slide by hitting 57, but received little by way of support at the other end, as Ahmed Jamal and Wahab Riaz notched three scalps apiece to dismiss ZTBL for 195.Fast bowler Zohaib Ahmed and legspinner Samiullah shared six wickets between them to run through Habib Bank Limited and set up a seven-wicket win for Pakistan Television in Lahore.Habib Bank, put in to bat, could only muster 165 from 40 overs, with the major source of runs coming from Hasan Raza who top-scored with 43. However, none of the other batsmen made more than 27. Zohaib finished with 3 for 42 and Samiullah, 3 for 27.Pakistan TV’s openers Mohammad Naeem and Mohammad Adnan began the chase brightly by putting up a stand of 77 in 22.2 overs. They lost three quick wickets in the next 10 overs, but Fahad-ul-Haq scored 40 off 33 deliveries to seal the win in 41 overs.United Bank Limited cruised to a seven-wicket win against Pakistan International Airlines in Karachi. PIA, put in to bat, were precariously placed at 30 for 5 before Sheharyar Ghani led a recovery by scoring 59. However, only three batsmen reached double digits, as Mohammad Rameez, Adil Raza and Atif Maqbool picked up seven wickets between them dismiss PIA for 124.United Bank lost Ammar Hasan early in the chase, but rebuilt through a second-wicket stand of 76 between Ahsan Ali and Saad Sukhail, before Saeed Bin Nasir struck 44 off 47 to complete the win.Saeed Anwar’s century went in vain, as Khan Research Laboratories succumbed to a three-run defeat to Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited in Faisalabad.Umar Akmal, Saleem Mughal and Mohammad Rizwan all made 40s for SNGPL, but none of their other batsmen scored more than 10, as Yasir Ali and Nauman Ali notched three scalps apiece to restrict the team to 199 for 9.KRL however began the paltry chase disastrously, losing wickets at regular intervals to slump to 21 for 5. Anwar and Ali Khan however counterattacked by adding 105 for the sixth wicket. Ali Khan struck three fours and two sixes during his knock, but was caught behind by the keeper for 54.Anwar carried on, hitting eight fours and four sixes, but with partners running out at the other end, he was left stranded at 103 and KRL fell just three runs short. Asad Ali and Imran Ali both took three wickets for SNGPL.

A round-up of President’s Trophy matches that ended on January 1, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jan-2014Zohaib Khan, the left-arm spin bowling allrounder, contributed with both bat and ball to lead Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) to their third win in seven games in the President’s Trophy 2013-14. ZTBL’s three-wicket victory over Khan Research Laboratories, in Rawalpindi, gained them nine much-needed points, but they still sit only in the middle of the points table.ZTBL chose to bowl and pacers Mohammad Khalil and Sajjad Hussain gave them the early edge, picking up seven wickets between them. Zohaib did the rest, picking up three lower-order wickets to finish off Khan Research Laboratories’ innings at 171. ZTBL’s batsmen did not do much better than Khan Research Laboratories’ though, managing only a23-run lead primarily through wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, who made 72. Left-arm quick Sadaf Hussain was the destroyer-in-chief, picking up four of the top five ZTBL batsmen on his way to an 18th five-wicket haul.Zohaib was among the second-innings wickets again for ZTBL, picking up 4 for 52 as Khan Research Laboratories’ batsmen – apart from opener Shoaib Ahmed and No. 6 Ali Khan, who made half-centuries – failed again. That left ZTBL chasing 184, and they were in some trouble at 59 for 4 and then 106 for 5, when Zohaib arrived at the crease. He made sure his good work with the ball didn’t go in vain, producing the only fifty of the innings, and a 72-run stand with Haider, to ensure the team edged home.Rain and a wet outfield in Sialkot washed out half of the match between National Bank of Pakistan and Port Kasim Authority, denying Port Qasim the chance of completing a victory after they had dominated the first two days.After being put in to bat, Port Qasim were in some trouble early, falling to 148 for 7 before rearguard efforts from Mohammad Sami and Tanvir Ahmed got them to 239. Pace bowler Sohail Khan then ran through National Bank’s top order, picking up six of the top seven batsmen, to give Port Qasim a 127-run lead. Umar Amin then built the lead in the second innings, getting to 74 as the lead grew to 279 by stumps on day two. With six wickets still in hand, Port Qasim looked on course to set National Bank a massive victory target, but then the weather intervened on their behalf; no play was possible on days three and four.Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) moved to second on the points table with a five-wicket win over Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), in Faisalabad. The win was set up by a 15-wicket haul from left-arm spinner, Zulfiqar Babar.WAPDA chose to bowl, and Babar proved effective even on a first-day track, picking up 7 for 81 to shoot out PIA for 160 in less than 50 overs. WAPDA then took a 78-run lead, despite none of their batsmen kicking on from starts – only No. 3 Mohammad Ayub got to a half-century, and even he couldn’t manage more than 65. Babar continued where he left off, in the second innings, claiming an eight-for this time round. That meant, despite a 183-run fifth-wicket stand between centurion Sohaib Khan Sr and Faisal Iqbal – who made 87 – WAPDA needed just 207 for victory. They were off to a poor start in the chase, losing their top four for an aggregate of 15 runs, but scores of 83 apiece from Nos. 5 and 6, Ali Rafiq and Aamer Sajjad made sure Babar’s figures didn’t go to waste.Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited did not take a point from their drawn game against Habib Bank Limited, in Lahore, but still have a healthy lead at the top of the points table.Sui Gas chose to bowl and the decision backfired on them, with Habib Bank getting to 450 courtesy a solid showing from their middle order; four middle-order batsmen got scores between 78 and 85. Despite their top seven getting into double digits, Sui Gas could not overhaul that score, giving Habib Bank three points for the first-innings lead. Habib Bank’s batsmen did not do as well in their second essay, falling to 178 for 8, but having batted out 118 overs in the first innings, they had eaten into enough time to ensure a defeat was unlikely. And so it was, the match ending in a draw, with Sui Gas legspinner Yasir Shah adding two more wickets to his first-innings haul of four.

A round-up of the Super Six games of the World Cup Qualifiers on January 26, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2014Khurram Khan’s fourth List A ton set the platform for United Arab Emirates’ comprehensive 150-run win over Papua New Guinea in Christchurch.UAE, put in to bat, were precariously placed at 57 for 3 in the 10th over before Khurram strung together fifty-plus partnerships with Swapnil Patil, Rohan Mustafa and Vikrant Shetty for the next three wickets and take the team close to the 250-run mark. Khurram blasted 17 fours and two sixes during his 145-ball 138, but was dismissed by seamer Willie Gavera in the 44th over and UAE were subsequently dismissed for 280 by the 49th. Gavera was the pick of the PNG bowlers and finished with 3 for 39.PNG were unable to gather any momentum during the chase, and slumped to 45 for 5 inside 12 overs as the pacers Mohammad Naveed and Manjula Guruge ran through their top order. The Amini brothers – Chris and Charles – counterattacked with a 58-run sixth-wicket partnership, but once the captain Chris fell for 17, defeat was inevitable. Charles struck six fours and a six during his 44-ball 49, but only two other batsmen managed to reach double digits as the medium-pacer Amjad Javed too four wickets as he cleaned up the tail to seal the win in 28.3 overs.”That was a very important two points because PNG came into the Super Six stage with four points and most of the other teams came with two points. This stage of the competition you just have to beat every team, and we really respect PNG, they are an awesome team and have been doing very well but our guys did a wonderful job today,” Khurram said after the game. “I played better today. The last few innings I got out on 88 and 87 and 78 but I wanted to bat for all the overs and tried my best today.”A 72-run stand for the fourth wicket between the opener Irfan Karim and Morris Ouma paved the way for Kenya’s 10-run D/L win against Hong Kong in a rain-affected match in Rangiora. Kenya, chasing 255, needed 32 off the last 28 deliveries before a second shower forced the umpires to end the game and award Kenya the victory as they were 10 runs ahead of the par score of 213.Karim scored 82 off 98 with seven fours, and added 55 for the second wicket with Ragheb Aga to set Kenya’s chase underway. Seamer Irfan Ahmed removed both Aga and Collins Obuya in quick succession, but Karim and Ouma’s partnership took the game away from Hong Kong. Karim fell in the 37th over, but Ouma remained unbeaten on 69 with seven fours.Hong Kong, in their innings, were lifted by captain Jamie Atkinson’s 85 that helped them recover from a slow start. He was run-out in the 37th over, but handy contributions from the rest of Hong Kong’s middle order, including Babar Hayat’s unbeaten 48-ball 45, propelled the team to a competitive 254 for 8.The game between Namibia and Scotland was abruptly halted after 12.1 overs in the second innings due to heavy rain and winds in Lincoln. Namibia, chasing 280, were 59 for 2 before the umpires stopped play, but the game is set to resume on Monday.

Muttiah Muralitharan and Virender Sehwag are among the players named in the MCC squad for next month’s Champion County match in Abu Dhabi

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Feb-2014Muttiah Muralitharan, the world’s leading international wicket-taker, and former India opener Virender Sehwag, as well as Monty Panesar and prospective England opener Sam Robson are among the players named in the MCC squad for next month’s Champion County match in Abu Dhabi.An MCC XI captained by Sehwag will play Durham, the 2013 Championship winners, in a four-day first-class match beginning on March 23 to herald the start of the English season. A T20 tournament featuring Lancashire, Sussex and Durham precedes the main fixture, in which Muralitharan will lead the side.Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene and England allrounder Samit Patel are also included in the squad, along with Patel’s Nottinghamshire team-mates Harry Gurney, the left-arm seamer recently called up by England, and former New Zealand international Andre Adams.As has been the case for the last few years, the Champion County match will be a day-night affair, using pink cricket balls; pink balls will also be used in the T20 fixtures.”I was delighted to be asked to play in this match, and being able to captain the MCC side makes it even more of a privilege,” Sehwag said. “We’re taking a very strong squad out to Abu Dhabi so I’m sure the standard of cricket on show will be very high.”It’s also very exciting to be playing under lights with the pink ball. It’s a big innovation for the game and I’m very keen to be involved in any initiative which aims to increase the appeal of cricket to a wider audience.”John Stephenson, the MCC’s head of cricket, said he hoped the continued pioneering of the pink ball in day-night first-class cricket would soon lead to it being taken up at higher levels within the game.”MCC has had very positive results from these day-night Champion County matches, and has provided the game with invaluable insight into the possibilities of playing floodlit Test cricket,” he said. “The evidence continues to mount and the club believes this will soon translate into day-night Test cricket, which will help to re-invigorate the five day international game in countries where attendances are low.”The trip will also feature Lancashire playing 50-over matches against an MCC Universities Combined XI and MCC Young Cricketers on March 22 and 23 respectively.MCC squad: Virender Sehwag (capt), Muttiah Muralitharan (captain T20 fixtures), Sam Robson, Luis Reece, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Samit Patel, Prassana Jayawardene, Ollie Rayner, Andre Adams, Harry Gurney, Kyle Hogg, Monty Panesar

Virat Kohli, the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain, hopes that his franchise will finally be able to win the IPL this season in their seventh attempt

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2014Virat Kohli, the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain, hopes that his franchise will finally be able to win the IPL this season in their seventh attempt. Royal Challengers have made the final of the T20 league twice before but a title win still remains elusive despite having players of the caliber of Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers at their disposal. The franchise also put in the highest bid of this year’s auction to gain the services of Yuvraj Singh, and Kohli said that with their latest acquisitions, Royal Challengers hoped to go all the way.”This time around we will hope to go few more steps ahead and actually get that trophy,” Kohli said at a promotional event in Mumbai. “We have added a few more quality players in the side and I am sure we will come out with flying colours.”We try every year to win and we have a strong team. We will try to win the trophy because we have got a good combination this time and we will try to utilise it. We have a great team, great bunch of guys ready to perform well. We do well every year, we excite a lot of people in the IPL.”Just a week ago, Kohli was declared the Player of the Tournament in the World T20 in Bangladesh and has had to swiftly adjust to franchise responsibilities with Royal Challengers. He said the IPL was more about enjoying oneself as players took a break from their international duties.”The more we enjoy cricket, it will be that much better in IPL. In IPL there is a lot of enjoyment of players. Everybody is relaxed coming from international schedule. There is a good atmosphere and we will try to utilise it.”Royal Challengers will play their first match against Delhi Daredevils on April 17 in Sharjah.

Leicestershire Foxes have signed Scott Styris, the vastly experienced New Zealand allrounder, as their second overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast.

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2014Leicestershire Foxes have signed Scott Styris, the vastly experienced New Zealand allrounder, as their second overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast.The move for Styris has been agreed but is subject to visa approval. Leicestershire have described the securing of a deal with Styris, who has enjoyed IPL stints with Chennai Super Kings and Deccan Chargers, as “a massive coup” as they plan for their opening home game against Derbyshire on May 16.Styris, unsold in the 2014 IPL auction but a finalist in two of the last four years in English T20, hit the headlines in 2012 when striking a world record 38 runs in an over for Sussex against Gloucestershire in the quarterfinal of the English domestic competition. His unbeaten century off 37 deliveries was the joint third fastest of all time.He is closing in on 4,000 career runs in the T20 format and has a strike rate of 134.92 from 170 innings. Although now an elder statesman, he also offers a decent medium pace option and has picked up 113 wickets at an impressive economy rate of under 7.5 an over.”I’m excited to sign for Leicestershire Foxes for the NatWest T20 Blast this season,” he said. “Having played in two finals days in the last four years, I feel I have unfinished business in English T20 cricket and want to play a key role for a successful Foxes campaign. I love playing in England and I hope to add value with my skills and knowledge of the T20 game.”Leicestershire’s director of cricket Phil Whitticase said: “I’m really pleased that we’ve managed to get a high-profile player like Scott as our second overseas player. His record is second-to-none and I’m looking forward to him playing a key role in our side. Scott has vast experience and knowledge.”

Selectors encouraged to look beyond de Villiers, du Plessis, with JP Duminy emerging as a possible choice

Firdose Moonda16-May-2014The decision on South Africa’s next Test captain should not be a straightforward or simple one, according to Cricket SA CEO Haroon Lorgat and team manager Mohammed Moosajee. Although the position is expected to be offered to one of AB de Villiers or Faf du Plessis, Lorgat and Moosajee hope other possibilities will be considered in debates over the next two weeks.”I would hope the selectors will not have an automatic choice. There is a process that needs to be followed,” Lorgat, speaking at the Gauteng Cricket Board Awards on Thursday night, said. “There are several candidates so let’s hope it is a tough choice.”South Africa’s selection panel have already begun talks and will meet again before CSA’s board meeting on June 3 to decide on their recommendation for the next Test captain. The person they choose will have to be ratified by the board before being officially announced. Apart from de Villiers and du Plessis, JP Duminy is has been mentioned as a possible choice, especially in light of his recent form, bigger role in the national team and years in the game.Duminy has been playing regularly in the Test team since March 2012 with his only absence enforced when he tore his Achilles’ tendon in November that year in Australia. He was handed his place back as soon as he returned to full fitness. He has established his place in the middle-order where he plays a pivot role between the specialist batsmen and the lower order, shepherding the tail. He has also been given a job to do with the ball and his offspin has allowed South Africa the option of another bowler.As one of the more senior members of the side, Duminy is considered to be part of the core group that will lead the rebuilding phase following the twin retirements of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis last summer. That Duminy plays across all three formats makes him one of the constants in the South Africa XI. National coach Russell Domingo has often referred to Duminy as South Africa’s “best T20 player,” and he is currently the South African with the most runs in the IPL, and fifth on the overall standings.What may work against Duminy is that he has not captained previously but South Africa’s administrators have shown that is not insurmountable hurdle. Smith only played eight Tests before being made national captain at age of 22 while de Villiers had not led at any level when he succeeded Smith as ODI and T20 skipper. What is more important, according to Moosajee, is that the person entrusted with the job is able to continue to apply the team culture South Africa have built over the last few years.”We are a diverse country with a diverse group of players and we have a melting pot of cultures in the dressing room. We have built our team environment around that, which has meant learning and respecting each other’s backgrounds and using that to become a strong unit,” Moosajee said. “We are fortunate that we’ve had inspirational leaders in the past and now we hope to have another one. We have four or five people that can fill the role.”Both Lorgat and Moosajee cautioned against looking for another Smith, who led the team for nine years and played in it for over a decade. “Graeme was one of a kind – he was tough and he wore his heart on his sleeve,” Moosajee said. For Lorgat, Smith’s lengthy tenure has left South Africa with “a lot to build on but big shoes to fill.”

The Pakistan government has lodged an appeal in the Supreme Court against the Islamabad High Court’s decision to remove the PCB administration under Najam Sethi chairmanship

Umar Farooq20-May-2014The Pakistan government has lodged an appeal in the Supreme Court against the Islamabad High Court’s decision to remove the PCB administration under Najam Sethi chairmanship, annul all its decisions, and reinstate Zaka Ashraf as PCB chairman. The first hearing is on May 21 and the stage is set for a protracted legal tussle.The Ministry for Inter-Provincial Co-ordination, which oversees sports affairs in Pakistan, is the petitioner in the appeal and is represented by renowned lawyer Asma Jahangir. It is asking the Supreme Court to annul the high court’s decision and reinstate the Sethi administration.In its appeal document, a copy of which is with ESPNcricinfo, the ministry said the High Court’s order would severely damage cricket in Pakistan. “That by annulling the notification and all long-term acts, commitments etc made by the management committee, the honorable court has unleashed a chain of events that will create immense chaos and destruction, costing millions and millions of rupees. All reforms towards election, constitution making, and international commitments will be at peril,” the appeal stated. “It has to be forthwith reversed and it is the obligation of the Patron [Prime Minister of Pakistan] to put PCB on a firm wicket, which can hardly be termed as a malafide act.”On May 19, the Islamabad High Court had reinstated Ashraf as PCB chairman and annulled the committee headed by Sethi. The development was likely to impact the Pakistan team significantly because their head coach Waqar Younis, team manager and chief selector Moin Khan, and other staff were appointed during Sethi’s most recent tenure as PCB chairman. In its 26-page order, the IHC had said the lawyers appearing for the respondents could not “prove the reason for removal of [the] earlier set-up of the board.”

Rajesh Chauhan, the former India offspinner, has been hospitalised after he suffered a cardiac arrest on Monday

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2014Rajesh Chauhan, the former India offspinner, has been hospitalised after he suffered a cardiac arrest on Monday. Chauhan underwent surgery in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, where he is based, and is currently reported to be stable.Chauhan suffered the heart attack at his home in Bhilai on Monday evening and was rushed to the Bhilai Steel Plant hospital. Following medical advice, he was shifted to Apollo BSR hospital, where he was operated upon.Chauhan was a contemporary of Anil Kumble and Venkatapathy Raju in the 1990s and played 21 Tests and 35 ODIs for India between 1993 and 1998, taking 47 and 29 wickets in the two formats. His domestic career stretched from 1988 to 2001 and after retirement, he was also a part of the now-defunct Indian Cricket League, working as an assistant coach for Mumbai Champs. Chauhan is perhaps most remembered for his last-over six off Saqlain Mushtaq in Karachi in 1997 that took India to a four-wicket win.