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Shahid Afridi first resuscitated Pakistan from a disastrous start with the bat and nearly took a hat-trick as they romped home to a 138-run win against New Zealand

The Bulletin by Osman Samiuddin03-Nov-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Shahid Afridi had to have the final word and nearly puled off a hat-trick•Associated Press

Who needs the captaincy when you are in this kind of form? Shahid Afridi’s supposed desire to lead Pakistan in ODIs and his rift with captain Younis Khan has dominated the chat in Pakistan since the Champions Trophy, and his all-round performance tonight to dismantle New Zealand – along with the captain’s duck – will do nothing to quell further talk. But why burden yourself with leadership hassles when you can turn in the kind of man-mountain performance Afridi did, first resuscitating Pakistan from a disastrous start with the bat and then nearly taking a hat-trick as his side romped home to a 138-run win at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.Afridi’s day had begun halfway through Pakistan’s innings, when having won the toss, they were making a mess of things. Shane Bond had bowled an opening five-over spell of refreshingly attacking intent, of real cunning, occasional pace and much guile. Each ball he bowled, it seemed, was geared only to take wickets, not save runs. With the rest of Bond’s colleagues chipping in, Afridi turned up to find his side limping around at 75 for 4.Much like a magician he turned it into an ominous 287 for 9 with his innings opening up the floodgates for his lower order, in particular Kamran Akmal, who plundered New Zealand relentlessly at the death. In all, 137 runs came in the last 15 overs and 206 off the last 25, and Afridi was the culprit.It was a calm hand by his standards, pretty brutal by any other, and the kind of innings Twenty20 has brought out of him. In its entirety it was mature, particularly in the realisation that he need not go at it helter-skelter from the off and that if his forearms are somehow aligned to his brain then mountains can be moved.Indeed there was nary a miscue or hoick to begin, just urgent nudges and grunted pushes to revive Pakistan’s comatose run-rate. Once Khalid Latif, drafted in as opener, pulled a first boundary for nearly 12 overs in the 29th, he freed Afridi’s mind. Soon Afridi was dancing out to hoist three sixes in two overs of spin from Daniel Vettori and Nathan McCullum.The flurry of boundaries is an Afridi trait, but once out of the way he reverted – pleasingly – to taking well-placed singles and doubles, managing the occasional boundary. Shane Bond was muscled over long-off for one such, to bring up his fifty off 37 balls, which was still sedate for him. He went soon after biffing a couple more, but not before, with a tranquil Latif, having revived Pakistan. Latif looked as threatening as a butterfly, without being as pretty, but he stuck around for what was a valuable fifty. And he was at his most effective when Afridi was going for it, simply because he ensured that Afridi got much of the strike.Akmal, relieved of opening and for Afridi’s ballast, gleefully looted runs over the death, putting on 86 with Abdul Razzaq in just over seven overs – driving, scything and squeezing a parade of sixes and fours en route to a stunning 43-ball 67.The momentum with them, Pakistan’s pacemen worked their way through the top order, crippling the chase at the very off. Umar Gul may have been the main beneficiary in terms of wickets, but Mohammad Aamer’s opening spell – much older than the 17-year-old body and mind that produced it – was the key. At whippy pace, he gnawed away at both Brendon McCullum and Aaron Redmond over after over, regularly beating them for pace and inward movement and ultimately setting the tone of who was to boss the chase.Inevitably, though, Afridi had to have the final word. Daniel Vettori and Redmond had gamely kept New Zealand within a sniff, though Redmond’s ponderous fifty – unlike Latif’s earlier – did not have anyone going crazy enough around it. After an indifferent, hurried first spell, Afridi got the pesky Vettori to drag on an attempted sweep, and with his next ball trapped Nathan McCullum. Another umpire might have even given the hat-trick – incorrect as it may have been – but denying Afridi in this kind of mood took some standing. New Zealand found it beyond them.

Andrew Strauss has been shortlisted for BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

Cricinfo staff01-Dec-2009With the Ashes in his back pocket and a resurgent England leading 2-1 in the one-day series in South Africa, Andrew Strauss has plenty to feel satisfied about. Now he has been rewarded for his performances over the last 12 months with a place in the ten-person shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.The last cricketer to win the award, which is decided by public vote, was Andrew Flintoff in 2005 after England’s previous Ashes win. Four years on Strauss top-scored against Australia with 474 runs at 52.66, which included 161 on the first day of the Lord’s Test match. His cool leadership throughout the tense contest was also vital in England’s success.The year began in very different circumstances with Strauss being given the captaincy after Kevin Pietersen was sacked following his falling out with Peter Moores. Strauss lost his first Test in full charge when England were bundled out for 51 in the second innings against West Indies at Kingston but England have only lost one Test since as they beat the West Indies at home in May and then triumphed 2-1 in the Ashes. During that period his own form has been prolific with 1055 runs from 11 matches at 62.05.Strauss’s Ashes team-mates Andrew Flintoff and Stuart Broad also received a number of votes from the national and regional media outlets that produced the lists from which the final 10 were drawn. The other three cricketers before Flintoff to win the accolade, which was first awarded in 1954, were Ian Botham after his famous 1981 Ashes, David Steele in 1975 and Jim Laker in 1956.

Plays of the Day from the fourth day of the first Test between Australia and Pakistan

Osman Samiuddin and Brydon Coverdale at the MCG29-Dec-2009Swing and a miss
Marcus North appears to be one of the coolest-headed members of
Australia’s team, which makes it all the more surprising that he reacted
so angrily to his dismissal. North played on to a fullish delivery from
Mohammad Aamer and immediately swung his bat in disappointment. Lucky for
him it sailed a few centimetres above the bails; had he made contact a
summons from the match referee would have been inevitable.Bolly would love a musical number
There’s already so much to like about Doug Bollinger. Now we learn that he
sings to himself at the top of his bowling mark to help calm him down.
Bollinger made the admission in a television interview before play on the
fourth day and it raised the question, what would Dougie sing? Given that
he has also previously said he struggled to hold down a job before
becoming a full-time cricketer, the answer seems plain. Get a haircut, and
get a real job…Boxing clever
Bollinger has proved difficult to face over the past few Tests and it
might be because he likes to aim for the batsman’s box. After Bollinger
gave that line on Channel Nine, Shane Warne clarified for any viewers who
didn’t understand: “What he’s trying to say is that he aims for the top of
the batsman’s middle stump.”Nagpur revisited
Mohammad Yousuf took a leaf out of MS Dhoni’s book when the prospect of a
first Australian hundred of the summer began to loom. Dhoni’s defence as
attack theory in Nagpur in 2008-09 against Australia had seen him employ
8-1 fields through a third day that yielded just 166 runs. Shane Watson has had a
nervy time of it in the 90s recently and when he entered it this time,
Yousuf and Mohammad Asif decided to test him. Soon after morning
drinks, a lone mid-on patrolled the entire leg-side as Asif pitched wider
and wider, tempting Watson into indiscretion. What followed was either
very compelling or very dull, disgraceful or very clever. It almost worked
as well.Drop counter

Keep the count going: Pakistan dropped three chances in Australia’s first
innings and two more were added the second time round. Imran Farhat, who once
dropped six catches at Lord’s, put down Marcus North at midwicket, though
it didn’t cost too much. Then, with Watson on 99 and all of Australia’s
nerves on his fingertips, Abdur Rauf grassed a sitter at point, to allow a
first Australian hundred of the summer and general relief across the land
at the lifting of a jinx. What Rauf was doing at point is anyone’s guess,
though he deserves a stand to be named after him at the MCG. At the very
least, Watson’s first child should be christened Rauf Watson.Kat call

Why doesn’t Simon Katich bowl more often? He hadn’t bowled a single over
all summer until he came on as the day drew to a close today and
immediately things began to happen. Umar Akmal, who rarely needs an invite
to attack a spinner immediately pulled his first ball, but only as far as
Nathan Hauritz at midwicket, who duly spilled it. Next ball it needed the
intervention of the third umpire to adjudge Umar not out off a stumping.
Finally Umar managed to pull him through midwicket for four and when
Yousuf did the same in the next over, to be subsequently bemused by a full
toss as high as the sky, the reasons for Katich not bowling so much became
a little clearer.

The depths of confusion surrounding the call-up of Imran Tahir to the South Africa squad for the second Test against England have been revealed

Andrew McGlashan in Johannesburg15-Jan-2010The depths of confusion surrounding the call-up of Imran Tahir to the South Africa squad for the second Test against England have been revealed with Gerald Majola, the Cricket South Africa CEO, saying it came as a “shock” to see Tahir in the 15-man party and that the incident had caused “much embarrassment.”Mike Procter, the convenor of selectors, included Tahir but later the same day the decision was overturned after it became clear the legspinner wasn’t yet eligible for South Africa. Confusion reigned as coach Mickey Arthur wasn’t clear on the regulations and now Majola has confirmed Tahir is not available for South Africa until December 2010, which rules him out of the tours to India and the West Indies when it was originally believed he qualified in April last year.Tahir is ineligible on two grounds. He began his qualification period in 2006 and has to spend at least 183 days in the country for four consecutive years and he has not completed that period until December. There is then an additional CSA requirement that the player must either be a national or hold a permanent residency permit.CSA have apologised to Tahir for confusion and any embarrassment caused and Majola has said that he will ensure the correct procedures are followed in the future.”CSA takes this opportunity to provide the background to this unfortunate affair which has caused both Imran Tahir and South African cricket much embarrassment,” Majola said. “Imran came to South Africa in 2006 and expressed a wish to become a representative player in South Africa and to gain permanent residency. He has subsequently married a South African national.”He has played local representative cricket over the past three years, and has applied for permanent residency. This application process, we understand, is now reaching fruition. Imran does not qualify for selection to South Africa at this stage under the CSA regulations. When and if he does, CSA will then be required to apply to the ICC for permission to select him should CSA so wish.”In these circumstances, it came as a shock to see a public announcement by CSA’s convenor of national selectors that Imran had been included in South Africa’s squad for the final Test against England.”My office ordered the immediate withdrawal of Imran from the squad because of his ineligibility. Subsequently, the convenor has apologised to the player, the public and CSA for this most unfortunate mistake through the misunderstanding of the processes involved.”Tahir will take up a contract as Warwickshire’s overseas player in the English County Championship for the 2010 season and is also expected to move domestic franchises in South Africa to join Durban-based side the Dolphins.

These are the five performances that have made the ESPNcricinfo awards shortlist for ODI bowling performances of 2009

Cricinfo staff18-Feb-2010Three series-winning performances, and two inspired efforts that derailed Australia comprise the ODI bowling shortlist of 2009 for the ESPNcricinfo awards. Pace and spin both feature prominently in the nominations, four of which are hauls of five wickets or more and also include a hat-trick.Shahid Afridi bagged the second best figures in 2009, taking 6 for 38 in Dubai in an uncharacteristic Australian collapse, where eight wickets fell for 27. The display won Pakistan the game, though the series was eventually lost. Harbhajan Singh’s 5 for 56 in the Compaq Cup in Colombo, in the wake of a blistering reply by Sri Lanka’s batsmen in their chase, ended India’s long struggle in tournament finals.The fast bowlers had three representatives, leading with Andrew Flintoff, whose hat-trick against West Indies, part of his career-best 5 for 19, won England their first ODI series in the Caribbean. Doug Bollinger had made a mark in only his second ODI, grabbing a five-for against Pakistan, but his 5 for 35 in Guwahati against India sealed a memorable series victory for Australia after they had been 1-2 down. And finally, Kyle Mills inflicted on Australia what they rarely experience at home, bowling them out for 181, their lowest in the country that year, while taking 4 for 35 in conditions favourable for batting.The top five were drawn on basis of votes from a 14-member jury that includes some of the leading cricket experts in the world and Cricinfo’s senior editors.A departure from the usual year-end awards looking at overall performances, ESPNCricinfo’s honours are in two categories: a jury-based award looking at the year’s best batting and bowling performances and a stats-based award using numbers from Cricinfo’s extensive database.
The winners for all the awards will be announced on February 19.

Daniel Christian had a dream day as South Australia moved towards an outright win after Western Australia were dismissed for 189

Cricinfo staff10-Feb-2010
ScorecardMichael Hogan took five wickets but it was the only bright spot for Western Australia•Getty Images

Daniel Christian had a dream day as South Australia moved towards an outright win after Western Australia were dismissed for 189. Christian scored 71 and backed up with a career-best 5 for 24 to give the Redbacks an easy assignment on the final morning, with them needing another 88 runs after reaching 1 for 6 at stumps.The victory would move South Australia to outright third on 16 points and keep them in with a chance of reaching the finals. South Australia closed their first innings before lunch at 9 for 380 and then started to dismantle the hosts following a 69-run opening stand.Christian, who collected 4 for 63 on day one, removed Liam Davis for 37 before Jake Haberfield had Marcus North lbw for 4 in a crucial dismissal. Wes Robinson (43) and Mitchell Marsh went quickly before tea and after the break Christian was on a hat-trick, taking care of Luke Pomersbach and Luke Ronchi.Suddenly the Warriors were 6 for 111 and there was a chance the game would be over in three days. However, Voges stayed for 26 until bowled by Haberfield and Ashley Noffke, who was unbeaten on 37, got some help from the tail before Christian finished the innings with back-to-back wickets.South Australia gained an advantage of 96 in the first session following a bright display from Christian, who built on the work of James Smith and Michael Klinger on the second day. Michael Hogan, the fast bowler, picked up a personal best of 5 for 83 after knocking over Aaron O’Brien in the first over of the day for 46. He added Tim Ludeman (22), who had been hit in the chin and helmet, and Gary Putland (1) in a rewarding collection that expanded late in the day when he bowled Smith.

Jeetan Patel has been given the nod ahead of James Franklin but New Zealand’s top-order batting remains a concern a day out from the second Test in Hamilton

Brydon Coverdale in Hamilton26-Mar-2010Jeetan Patel has been given the nod ahead of James Franklin but New Zealand’s top-order batting remains a concern a day out from the second Test in Hamilton. Mathew Sinclair is the favourite to take over from Peter Ingram at No. 3 and has the support of the batting coach Martin Crowe.Ricky Ponting believes the position is a vital one for New Zealand’s hopes of levelling the series. “Three is a big spot in the batting line up, there is no doubt about that,” Ponting said. “Guys like Ingram and BJ Watling, they will go through their ups and downs and it will be interesting to see how they react. Sinclair hasn’t played a Test for a couple of years so it depends whether they want to go that way or stick with guys they’ve given an opportunity to. For us, we’ve got pretty good plans in place for their players.”Crowe has been working with the New Zealand batsmen in the past few weeks and he has been impressed with Sinclair’s willingness to learn. He believes the veteran would be a better option at No. 3 than Ingram, who has failed to take his opportunities at the Basin Reserve and in the earlier limited-overs games.”I hope he does get picked,” Crowe said on Radio Sport. “I think he’s the guy who of all the No. 3s would be able to blunt the Australian attack because of his experience and the way he’s playing at the moment. He’s worth a punt. I’d play him again. He could possibly play for the next couple of years as a Test specialist.”The captain Daniel Vettori and coach Mark Greatbatch were set to decide on a final line-up on Friday afternoon. Vettori said New Zealand’s good summer leading in to the Australian series would be all but forgotten if they failed again at Seddon Park after their 10-wicket defeat at the Basin Reserve.”If we perform well here then it’s been a very good summer, if we don’t then people remember what’s fresh in their minds, the two Test matches,” Vettori said. “Like I said in Wellington, our performance here will define our summer. We’ve got a lot to be proud of looking back to the Champions Trophy and maybe winning the Test series against Pakistan if it wasn’t for rain. But I understand that people have short memories.”For Australia, victory in Hamilton would continue their unbeaten summer of Tests and they spent Friday afternoon training under cloudy skies in Hamilton. Most of the attention was on Shane Watson, who missed the first Test with a hip problem, and the fast bowlers Doug Bollinger, Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson. They were in the field for 13 hours across four days and two innings and have now had two days’ rest.”I’ve hardly seen them for a couple of days,” Ponting said. “As fast bowlers normally do, they pack themselves away in their rooms for couple of days and don’t do too much. We knew we had to ease up on them coming into this game hence none of the quicks came to training yesterday except Clint McKay. The other guys did all their gym and rehab work yesterday. They’ll all be here today and I expect them to roll their arm over in some way, shape or form.”They’ve pulled up pretty well to tell the truth. They’re obviously exhausted but injury-wise they’re good. If Watson comes back in we’ll have a really balanced and rounded attack. Watson obviously got through training well yesterday, he did a lot of batting at the start then bowled off his long run after that which is really encouraging. I want to see how he pulls up today and see what he gets done at training today first before we make any announcement on the team there.”Whatever the makeup of the two sides, it will be a massive challenge for New Zealand to turn around their form in such a short space of time. Vettori said it was a learning experience in Wellington when his men failed to adapt as the conditions of the match changed around them.”At 170 for 4 we thought things were going pretty well and knew what we were doing but they changed their games and became more aggressive and we didn’t adapt to that,” he said. “We’ve got to realise situations within the game a lot better than we did in Wellington, particularly with Michael Clarke we persevered with the same line of attack for too long. We’re going to have to adapt and be a lot better.”

The USA Cricket Association has announced dates and venues for its major competitions in 2010

Cricinfo staff07-Apr-2010The USA Cricket Association has announced dates and venues for its major competitions in 2010. The USACA Super League, to be played between November 12 and 14, will remain in South Florida, but new sites are proposed for other national tournaments.The main international tournament is the ICC World Cricket League Division Four, scheduled to take place between August 14 and 21 in Italy, and ahead of that there is the ICC Americas Division One to be held in Bermuda between May 29 and June 7.The Men’s Eastern and Western Conference tournaments will not be held until September – the Eastern Conference between September 10 and 12 at a venue yet to be allocated, and the Western Conference in Los Angeles between September 17 and 19.The Women’s Nationals are scheduled for June 4 to 6 in Cupertino, California, five weeks ahead of the ICC Americas Challenge Series in Toronto.The Under-15 Nationals are set for July 15 to 18, with the Under-19 event from August 6 to 9.

Australia have almost ensured there will be no repeat of their first-round exit in this event last year

The Preview by Peter English04-May-2010

Match Facts

Wednesday, May 5, Kensington Oval

Start time 1300 (1700 GMT)Bangladesh need a free-flowing Tamim Iqbal if they are to challenge Australia•Getty Images

The Big Picture

Australia have almost ensured there will be no repeat of their first-round exit in this event last year following their convincing performance against Pakistan on Sunday. The 34-run success means they will have to be embarrassed by Bangladesh to be knocked out during a game they hope will be played on a surface offering much more bounce that the pitches in St Lucia.


The group moves to Barbados for the final match of the opening phase and Bangladesh are praying for a strong victory in order to qualify. They were beaten by Pakistan by 21 runs on Saturday, leaving their net run-rate at -1.05, and are chasing a minor miracle given they have lost 11 Twenty20s in a row.Australia are now feeling like they would in a 50-over World Cup. A strong start has given them confidence and most of their major operators are in good touch. Shane Watson and David Hussey posted half-centuries against Pakistan while Shaun Tait, Dirk Nannes and Mitchell Johnson combined for eight wickets. Johnson is in doubt for this match due to an elbow infection but if the attack clicks again a spot in the second round will be a formality.

Form guide (most recent first)

Australia WTWWW

Bangladesh LLLLL

Watch out for…

Dirk Nannes continues to grow as a fast bowler and will enjoy running in at the Bangladeshis, who often struggle with shorter balls. Nannes provides potential for more discomfort by being a left-armer who operates around 150kph and can cramp the batsmen for room. He has played only six T20s for Australia since swapping from the Netherlands last year, and has taken at least a wicket in every innings, including 3 for 41 on Sunday.The best chance Bangladesh have is if Tamim Iqbal takes off. Tamim is capable of gorging on attacks and seems perfectly suited to Twenty20, but has struggled to go on and has a top score of 32 in 14 matches. A strike-rate of 93.68 is also well below par for a batsman of such aggressive quality and his country will be willing him to stand tall against Australia.

Team news

Johnson is an uncertain starter after he left training on Tuesday to have medical treatment on an infection in his right elbow. “He could probably play if it was the World Cup final tomorrow, but there’s a lot of the tournament to go,” the team physio Alex Kountouris told AAP. That means Ryan Harris should be included for his first match after making a last-minute dash to the Caribbean to replace the injured Brett Lee. Nathan Hauritz, the offspinner, was left out of the opening match and should stay on the sidelines, especially if the pitch looks like helping the fast bowlers. Even if Johnson proves fit, Harris is an outside chance to come in, probably at the expense of Steven Smith. “With our squad we have the potential to change the team for conditions,” the captain Michael Clarke said. “If conditions suit another fast bowler in Barbados, I don’t see why not.”Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 David Warner, 3 Michael Clarke (capt), 4 David Hussey, 5 Cameron White, 6 Brad Haddin (wk), 7 Michael Hussey, 8 Steven Smith, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Dirk Nannes, 11 Shaun Tait.It can’t be a great job selecting the Bangladesh XI. There are so many players capable of competitive bursts, yet so few positive results. The batting looks stronger than the bowling at the moment, so Syed Rasel may come into calculations.Bangladesh (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mohammad Ashraful, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Naeem Islam, 7 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Suhrawadi Shuvo, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Abdur Razzak.

Pitch and conditions

Before the tournament began the Australians were thinking of using four fast men in Barbados, which they remembered as the quickest surface in the Caribbean. It’s unlikely they will employ that sort of attack now Lee has gone home, and talk of slower wickets at Kensington Oval will also reduce the chances of a pace quartet. The forecast is for scattered showers and a top of 30C.

Stats and trivia

• The teams have played once in Twenty20s, with Australia winning by nine wickets at the 2007 tournament in South Africa. Australia have three men in the Caribbean who took part in that game, while Bangladesh have six
  
• Bangladesh haven’t won a T20 international since they beat West Indies in September 2007
  
• Australia have not been defeated since their exit in last year’s tournament. Since then they have had a no result, an abandoned match, five wins and a one-over eliminator loss that is officially recorded as a tie. It’s their most successful streak in the format

  Quotes

  “There’s probably extra motivation from within the squad. We want to perform better than we have in Twenty20 cricket in general, not just in this tournament.”
  
  Michael Clarke’s side doesn’t want to be among the also-rans
  
  
  “It’s going to be near impossible for us to get through. It’s not going to be of any use winning and not have the right margin. We’re going to need a reasonable run rate, that’s for sure.”
  
  Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach

The Indian allrounder has apologised to the BCCI for his involvement in the incident at a St Lucia pub

Cricinfo staff26-May-2010Indian allrounder Ravindra Jadeja has apologised to the BCCI for his involvement in the incident at a St Lucia pub shortly after India’s exit from the ICC World Twenty20, but insisted that he along with six other Indian players did not instigate any trouble or retaliate against the Indian fans who abused them at the pub.In a letter addressed to the BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, a copy of which is with Cricinfo, Jadeja said the cricketers were taunted by the fans, who refused to back down even after a request from the players. He said the players were not involved in a ‘brawl’, as it was believed to be earlier, but nevertheless was apologetic that the incident even took place. After the incident was made public, the BCCI responded by issuing show-cause notices to seven of the eight players in the pub.”I regret that the board has sent me a notice for the incident in the West Indies, and please accept my apology,” Jadeja wrote. “I had gone to the restaurant (pub) along with other Indian team members. Some other guests, which I presume were Indian origins of the USA, also came to the restaurant and on seeing us they started abusing us, this may be because they were unhappy with our poor performance. We requested them not to abuse us but they did not stop inspite of our repeated request. No way was I involved in any ugly brawl and I went to the pub only to have dinner with my team-mates.”Jadeja had a poor tournament, where he failed in all departments.The other players issued notices were Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Rohit Sharma, Piyush Chawla, and M Vijay. The BCCI bosses, including its president Shashank Manohar, were said to be highly critical of the incident after hearing the report of team manager Ranjib Biswal in person. However, Biswal denied reports of a brawl, and said it was just a creation of the media.Srinivasan, when contacted, did not want to discuss the matter and refused to comment.