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The 252nd Roses match – the first on this ground – is going Lancashire’s way so far after Yorkshire subsided to 141 all out

Jon Culley at Aigburth18-May-2011
Scorecard
Given the anxiety surrounding the future of Old Trafford as aggrieved neighbour Albert Gubay continues on his mission to scupper Lancashire’s critical redevelopment plans, there is the potential for this season to be one of considerable irony if what had looked like a team in transition can maintain its early-season form.The Court of Appeal’s decision to give Gubay’s Derwent Holdings another crack at forcing a judicial review into Lancashire’s plans imposes another delay before work can properly begin on the £32 million project, jeopardising their hopes of being ready for the 2013 Ashes. The consequences for their financial future of not being ready do not bear thinking about, according to the county, in which case Lancashire’s temporary exile from their traditional headquarters -caused by the rotation of the square – might in a worst case scenario become permanent.And while club grounds can be idyllic, particularly when the sun shines, they are not suited to the demands of modern professional cricket. Lancashire quite like the idea of visitors to Aigburth suffering a degree of culture shock when the confront the Victorian pavilion but even they might tire of it as a long-term home.On this occasion, moreover, it felt far from idyllic as a chill wind whipped across the Mersey estuary, blowing away some early morning rain but obliging spectators to swath themselves with several layers even when the clouds parted and the sun peeped through.Not that the Lancashire players noticed, you would imagine. The 252nd Roses match – the first on this ground – is going their way so far after Yorkshire subsided to 141 all out.Conditions favoured the bowlers but it was a pretty miserable effort from the white rose nonetheless, although in the absence of Anthony McGrath, Gerard Brophy, Richard Pyrah and Tim Bresnan, all injured, as well as Ajmal Shahzad and Jonny Bairstow, away with England Lions, there were mitigating circumstances.Indeed, they are so stretched that they have had to ask Simon Guy, who they released in 2009 and is playing currently for Marske in the North Yorks-South Durham League, to come back as emergency wicketkeeper. Guy, 32, last played a first-class match in July, 2007, although he is familiar with most of the faces he encountered on his return. Five of his Yorkshire team-mates – as well as four on the Lancashire side – played in the Second XI Trophy final at Scarborough in 2009 that marked his final Yorkshire appearance.Even so, Yorkshire should have done rather better, having been 95 for 2. The pitch was slow and difficult to score runs on and with the ball swinging for Jimmy Anderson and Glen Chapple, the loss of only two wickets in the first 48 overs was a good effort.But it was at that point that Joe Sayers was out to a brilliant, diving catch by Steven Croft at point, rewarding Anderson with his only wicket when he probably deserved more for a penetrating couple of spells.Sayers is no dasher in anyone’s book, sometimes taking the virtues of caution a little too far but his defiance of temptation was exactly what was called for this time. With the ball seaming and swinging, beating the bat often and at times keeping disconcertingly low, Sayers ground his way to 53 in a little over three hours but once he had gone Yorkshire’s collective resolve drained away.The last eight wickets fell for 46 runs as Yorkshire, who had been fortunate to lose only Adam Lyth and Joe Root before lunch. Lyth, having cracked the first ball of the match through the covers for four, perished leg before to the first ball of Chapple’s second over at the pavilion end, Root falling in similar fashion to the last ball of Farveez Maharoof’s first over at the river end.Andrew Gale, the Yorkshire captain, should have been stumped on two when he took a liberty with Gary Keedy and threatened to take advantage but the left-arm spinner, finding turn at the pavilion end on day one, ultimately bowled him round his legs. Keedy soon struck again when Gary Balance popped a catch to silly point.Guy was bowled by Maharoof, whose ambition to persuade the Sri Lankan selectors of his worth can only benefit Lancashire, before Keedy held a return catch driven by Adil Rashid. Two more for Maharoof and another for Keedy, both men ending with four wickets, wrapped things up quickly. Yorkshire’s scoring rate had been under two runs per over.Lancashire lost Stephen Moore in the fifth over of their reply but negotiated the remaining 11 without serious alarms, which perhaps indicated a slight easing of the conditions but also highlighted how well Lancashire had bowled as a unit, so well that Saj Mahmood and Simon Kerrigan, both left out – in the latter’s case despite a match-winning five for seven in his last appearance, against Warwickshire – were scarcely missed.

Upul Tharanga, the Sri Lanka opening batsman, will face an ICC inquiry after testing positive for a banned substance during the 2011 World Cup, ESPNcricinfo understands

ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-2011Upul Tharanga, the Sri Lanka opening batsman, will face an ICC inquiry after testing positive for a banned substance during the 2011 World Cup, ESPNcricinfo understands. The cricketer is reported to have tested positive for prednisolone, a drug that is used to treat asthma, a condition from which he is said to suffer.Sri Lanka Cricket’s Interim Committee secretary Nishantha Ranatunga, however, denied any knowledge of the incident. “Officially we know nothing about the case,” he told , a Sri Lankan newspaper. “SLC has not received any complaints or reports about the use of the banned substance called prednisolone from any organisation or agency.” The ICC refused to make an official comment about the case.Farveez Maharoof, the Sri Lanka allrounder, said the allegations are not an issue to the team in England even though Tharanga is likely to be part of the one-day squad. “We haven’t spoken about it as a team, so it hasn’t been a distraction,” he said after the fourth day’s play in Cardiff. “We’re here to do a job and here to play a good test match. We’re planning to do well in this Test match and we’re not bothered about what is outside.””He’s a nice guy, a quiet guy, he’s come to the UK a few times and played pretty well, and in the World Cup he has done well,” Maharoof added. “He’s an established opening batsman in our team, and he’s a genuine guy.”According to the ICC’s anti-doping code, “It is each player’s personal duty to ensure that no prohibited substance enters his/her body. A player is responsible for any prohibited substance found to be present in his or her sample. Accordingly, it is not necessary that intent, fault, negligence or knowing use on the player’s part be demonstrated in order to establish an anti-doping violation under Article 2.1; nor is the player’s lack of intent, fault, negligence or knowledge a defence to a charge that an anti-doping rule violation has been committed under Article 2.1.”However, if a player needs to take a drug that is on the World Anti-Doping Authority’s (WADA’s) banned list in order to treat an illness, he is required to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). The Therapeutic Use Exemption Committee (TUEC) evaluates all applications for TUEs received by ICC.Under the dope-testing process, if a player’s A sample is found to contain a banned substance, he will have the option of asking for his B sample to be tested as well. If his B sample is also found to be positive, then the player could face a provisional suspension until the ICC carries out its inquiry; if the B sample is negative, the investigation is discontinued. It is uncertain how far into the process the ICC is with regard to the Sri Lankan cricketer.

Tendulkar, who has 51 centuries in Tests and 48 in ODIs, claimed the landmark of 100 international tons wasn’t preoccupying his build-up to the game

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2011Sachin Tendulkar is one century away from reaching 100 international tons and has an opportunity to achieve that on a historic occasion at Lord’s, where India and England will play the 2000th Test later this month. Tendulkar, who has 51 centuries in Tests and 48 in ODIs, however, said the landmark wasn’t preoccupying his build-up to the game.”I am not thinking of records,” Tendulkar told the . “I am just thinking of enjoying this tour. The secret to any performance is not in chasing records. I think about, ‘What is the best way to enjoy the game, and how can I enhance that enjoyment factor?'”If I enhance the enjoyment then, naturally, the standard of play becomes higher. To me, that is more important. If I am playing well, things can happen. I don’t need to go around chasing them. It is a process. You construct a solid foundation and build on it.”Tendulkar opted out of India’s tour of the West Indies, where they won the ODI series 3-2 and the Tests 1-0. It was India’s first international assignment after their World Cup win, of which Tendulkar was an integral part. “I was extremely delighted. It was something I had always dreamt about,” Tendulkar said of India’s triumph in his sixth World Cup. “You start playing cricket, and one day you walk away as part of a world champion team.”I took up playing serious cricket because in 1983, we won the World Cup, and that was a big turning point in terms of considering cricket a full-time profession. That moment was a decisive one. I felt, ‘I want to play for India one day’. It was a huge boost. From then I started working hard.”When asked of his plans for the future, Tendulkar said it was important he left behind a good legacy whenever he chose to leave the game. “For me, it’s not about breaking records or creating new ones. It’s about adding value to my team. Records will be set by me, they might be broken by someone else.”They’re not going to stay permanently. But the impression that I leave on people will last forever, I feel. The impression that I leave behind – to me that is important. If I can motivate the next young cricketers, that will be a big contribution.”

Victoria have axed the veteran trio of Dirk Nannes, Bryce McGain and Shane Harwood from their contract list for next summer

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2011Victoria have axed the veteran trio of Dirk Nannes, Bryce McGain and Shane Harwood from their contract list for next summer. The emergence of separate Twenty20 contracts for the new Big Bash League means Nannes will focus solely on his T20 career, while McGain, 39, and Harwood, 37, might also be hoping to win Twenty20 deals.Although all three men have played for Australia in either Test or one-day cricket, none of the demotions came as a major surprise in an ageing Bushrangers outfit. Nannes, 35, had already retired from first-class cricket, McGain played only one Sheffield Shield game and a handful in the short formats last season, and Harwood was used in a similarly sparing fashion and had not played a first-class match since early 2009.Also departing from last year’s squad was the fast bowler Damien Wright, who had already announced his retirement from first-class cricket in Australia and will remain around the group as bowling coach. The fast men Jayde Herrick and Steve Gilmour have been added to the list, while last summer’s rookies Ryan Carters, Will Sheridan and Glenn Maxwell have been upgraded to full deals.The Bushrangers have also signed Andrew McDonald and Clint McKay, who had been on Cricket Australia contracts until this month, to long-term deals, along with Rob Quiney, Aaron Finch, Matthew Wade and Michael Hill. Three new rookies have been included – Peter Handscomb, Scott Boland and Steven Reid – bringing the size of the squad to 26.Victoria are aiming for improvement in the longer format after missing the Sheffield Shield final for the first time in four seasons. However, they are the reigning champions in the Ryobi Cup, which will be defended next summer by a squad mentored by Simon Helmot.Helmot, the assistant to the head coach Greg Shipperd, has been handed the reins of the 50-over side, while Shipperd will remain in charge of the Sheffield Shield unit. The two men will also be competing when it comes to the Big Bash League, each taking charge of one of the two new Melbourne-based sides.”We have an established team with players who have been in the system for a number of years and achieved much success,” Cricket Victoria’s general manager, Shaun Graf, said. “The fact that we haven’t chased interstate players, and instead, put faith in our younger guys by offering them long-term deals speaks for itself.”We are confident we have the right blend of senior players and up-and-coming talent to keep us at the forefront of domestic cricket. It’s also fantastic to have our long standing coach Greg Shipperd again involved and to see Simon Helmot rewarded for his hard work with a head coaching appointment. Simon has come from the non-traditional coaching path, doing the hard yards at district level – opposed to being a first-class cricketer, so it’s great to see him work his way up to this position.”Victoria squad Ryan Carters, Mark Cleary, Aaron Finch, Steven Gilmour, John Hastings (Cricket Australia contract), Jayde Herrick, Michael Hill, Brad Hodge, Jon Holland, David Hussey (CA), Alex Keath, Glenn Maxwell, Andrew McDonald, Clint McKay, James Pattinson (CA), Darren Pattinson, Rob Quiney, Chris Rogers, Will Sheridan, Peter Siddle (CA), Matthew Wade, Cameron White (CA).Rookies Brett Forsyth, Peter Handscomb, Steven Reid, Scott Boland.

A round-up of the third match-day in the ICC Americas Region Division One Twenty20

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jul-2011Canada maintained their unbeaten run in the ICC Americas Region Division One Twenty20, beating Bermuda by 15 runs as per the Duckworth-Lewis method. After choosing to bat, Bermuda were restricted to a paltry 79 for 9 in 20 overs. Canada had them tottering at 36 for 8 in the 12th, before a steady partnership between Nos. 9 and 10, Malachi Jones – who top-scored with 29 – and Joshua Gilbert helped bat out the overs. Fast bowler Grant Broadhurst was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3 for 8. In a weather-interrupted chase, Canada put on 40 for 1 in 7.3 overs before the game was called off. D/L calculations proved them comfortable winners, as they needed to be only 26 at that stage.USA, who are also unbeaten in the tournament, eased past Argentina by 66 runs. Batting first, they put on 150 for 8, driven by quickfire innings of 40 and 41 by Gowkaran Roopnarine and Aditya Mishra. Argentina’s batsmen got starts, but did not build on them, none of the line-up going past 17 as USA kept them to 84 for 6 in 20. Any chance Argentina had of chasing successfully was wrecked by left-arm spinner Bhim George, who produced figures of 5 for 9 with a maiden in his four-over spell.Cayman Islands registered their first win in three games, beating Suriname by seven wickets with an over to spare. Being put in to bat, Suriname folded for 95 in the 20th over. Four of their top five batsmen got into double figures, but none of them carried on. The innings was kept in check by offspinner Kevin Bazil, who snagged three top order wickets while conceding just nine runs. Cayman Islands were steady in the chase, knocking off the target without much drama. Opener Zachary McLaughlin steered the innings with a knock of 37.

Michael Hussey couldn’t believe that Michael Clarke was giving him a bowl, but, according to him, there was method to his captain’s madness

Daniel Brettig in Pallekele08-Sep-2011No one in Pallekele was more surprised to see Michael Hussey handed the ball than the man himself.On a hunch from Australia’s captain Michael Clarke, Hussey was brought on to disrupt a budding partnership between Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews, and in three balls’ time he had enticed Sangakkara to push a catch to short extra cover. Job done, Hussey sauntered back to his position at gully, where he had earlier held a blinding catch to remove Mahela Jayawardene.Hussey returned neat figures of 1-1-0-1 and joked at the end of the day that he was more than happy to bowl only the one over because he “was starting to stiffen up already”. According to him, there was method to Clarke’s madness.”I couldn’t believe Michael Clarke was going to give me a bowl,” Hussey said. “He did sort of say he wouldn’t mind giving me a couple of overs, because with a little less pace they [Sri Lanka] might chip one out to cover and, obviously, he was spot on. It wasn’t just about ‘let’s just give anyone a go’, it was about trying to bowl a little slower. The pitch was slow and it was a bit hard to drive. He’s certainly a thinking captain and yeah, he had the golden hand today.”It was a very valuable wicket for the team. I’ll take it any day of the week because he’s [Sangakkara] one of the best players in the world and they had a pretty good partnership going. To be able to break that and give the guys a chance with the ball reversing a little was very fortuitous I think.”Hussey’s contribution summed up a day when Australia’s skill and instinct was matched only by Sri Lanka’s underachievement. Under such circumstances it is little wonder that the visitors are well and truly on the way towards a first series victory anywhere since defeating New Zealand early in 2010.As for the catch, Hussey rated it one of his most significant snares, removing the batsman who had held up Australia’s push for victory in Galle with a masterly 105. “It’s pretty special. Definitely, was a great reaction from the team.”It’s always great to hang on to a spectacular catch but, more importantly, it was the wicket of Jayawardene who was a big thorn in our side down in Galle. I guess I was pretty lucky today in that the two wickets that were probably the key were in my hands.”Australia’s domination of Sri Lanka’s batsmen has been almost total. Ryan Harris and Trent Copeland were precision personified with the new ball, while Nathan Lyon again bowled with courage and variety to the middle order. The bowlers, Hussey said, deserved a lot of credit for his side’s success.”I think it’s a real testament to the way the bowlers have gone about their work,” he said. “They’ve been very patient. The surface out there is good. Despite it being a bit slow, making it hard to get the timing right, it’s only as good as the bowlers bowl. If they bowl with width or err in length, you’ll be able to score quite quickly out there. But our bowlers were very disciplined for long periods of time.”They’re very clear in their minds about what they’re trying to do and we’ve proven we can do it now for the first one and a half Test matches. But we’ve got to maintain that standard over longer periods of time if are to get back to where we want to be in the standings.”

The termination of the Kochi franchise from the IPL is a blow for the development of cricket in Kerala, as well as the economic development of the state, Shashi Tharoor has said

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2011The termination of the Kochi franchise from the IPL is a blow for the growth of cricket in Kerala, as well as the economic development of the state, Shashi Tharoor, the former minister of state for external affairs, who played a vital role in organising the bid for the team, has said.”That investors from Gujarat and Maharashtra were persuaded to team up to bring their venture to Kerala was, to my mind, proof that Kerala too could attract outsiders to invest in our future,” Tharoor said. “Sadly, of course, those outsiders have let the state down by defaulting on their obligations to the BCCI.”The BCCI axed the Kochi franchise at its annual general meeting in Mumbai on September 19 citing an “irremediable breach” of contract. The board said the franchise had failed to furnish a new bank guarantee for 2011. The termination was the latest in a series of problems that have dogged the franchise since its inception, when a controversy over its ownership pattern led to Tharoor resigning from his post in India’s cabinet.”As a member of parliament from the state, I was acutely aware that Keralites simply did not believe we could compete with the major cities of India to attract big-ticket investment and high-value enterprises to our state. That’s why the establishment of a Kerala IPL team was all the more significant and important for the people of this tourist-friendly state, long languishing in the backwaters of Indian cricket’s shores.”Kerala has been marginal to Indian cricket – habitual wooden-spooners in the Ranji Trophy Plate League. Where does it fit in to the grand narrative of Indian cricket? It was a footnote at best.”I saw Kochi Tuskers Kerala as a venture that would not just boost the prospects of Kerala’s cricketers, but spark the imaginations of our young people and open new vistas for businesses, as well as promote a new surge of cricket-related tourism.”The owners of the Kochi franchise, whom Tharoor said he had “no role in choosing, merely in steering to Kerala”, said that they would fight to keep the franchise and even take legal action if necessary. The new BCCI president N Srinivasan, however, had said there was no way back for them.

A combination of factors helped Bangladesh inflict a huge defeat on West Indies, Mushfiqur Rahim has said

Mohammad Isam18-Oct-2011West Indies endured a day of shock, as they were bowled out for 61 – their second-lowest score in ODIs. The performance, that lasted just 22 overs, was a result of pathetic application on a track that had its fair share of demons for those teams wary of spin. The straw-coloured pitch at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium – under covers more than 15 hours due to the threat of overnight rain – offered bounce to the seamers and turn and bite for the slow bowlers.”The wicket here has always helped pace bowlers as well as providing turn for the spinners,” Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh captain, said after his team’s eight-wicket consolation win. “It wasn’t any different today. It was under covers for 17-18 hours and the spinners bowled very well.”In the last three matches, we couldn’t get an early breakthrough; it is important in our home conditions against a good team. It was a big plus point for us today as they struggled playing spin.”Mushfiqur said a combination of factors contributed to his team’s win. “Rain, winning the toss, the wicket, everything [had a role to play]. It is not a given that we’d win here. Our bowlers did what was expected of them. Overall, conditions were in our favour.”The ground is no stranger to low scores, however. The average score here is around 180, the average economy rate just above four an over and a lowest score of 44 by Zimbabwe; Bangladesh lost four wickets in the chase.The outfield was poor as the large covers missed some big spots around the boundary. The super-sopper was hard at work for a couple of hours before the game when the covers were taken off following a light drizzle. Sawdust had to be brought on to help with the drying; the 30-minute delay was shorter than what was expected.Not long after the start, there was a procession of West Indies batsmen towards the pavilion. Danza Hyatt and Marlon Samuels were dismissed by the seamers in quick succession and the batsmen who followed found it difficult to negotiate the turn or, at times, the lack of it, as some deliveries held their line. Nasir Hossain dislodged Kieran Powell with one that turned from off to leg, and Kieron Pollard fell next ball. Shakib Al Hasan took over and with his wily left-arm spin, finished with career-best figures in ODIs.When asked if the result today will erase the memories of being bowled out for 58 against West Indies in the World Cup, Shakib said: “People forget everything right? It is a matter of time.”

New South Wales were pressing for outright points against South Australia having enforced the follow-on when rain brought another early finish on day three of the Sheffield Shield match

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2011
ScorecardNew South Wales were pressing for outright points against South Australia having enforced the follow-on when rain brought another early finish on day three of the Sheffield Shield match at Bankstown Oval in Sydney.The Redbacks were bowled out for 266 on day three, as Tom Cooper’s stroke-laden 98 was not accompanied by enough support on a pitch that had started to deteriorate.Simon Katich was again a stand-out for NSW with the ball, claiming 3-29 while the rest of the wickets were shared by the rest. Josh Hazlewood bowled well to return 2-21 from 11 overs,Falling 208 short of the home side’s total, SA were sent in again and reached 1 for 59 when rain brought the early close, Ben Dougall completing a nondescript debut when he was out for 14 to the bowling of Mitchell Starc.

Thilan Samaraweera, the Sri Lanka middle-order batsman, has been added to the Test squad for the tour of South Africa after being initially overlooked

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Nov-2011Thilan Samaraweera, the Sri Lanka middle-order batsman, has been added to the Test squad for the tour of South Africa after being initially overlooked. Mahela Jayawardene missed the last ODI and Twenty20 against Pakistan in the UAE because of a knee injury, and although he is in no danger of missing the South Africa tour, Sri Lanka’s selectors wanted Samaraweera as cover.”I had a meeting with the national selectors today and they made a request to add Thilan as an additional player and I have approved that request,” Sri Lanka’s sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage told the .Samaraweera had been dropped for the third Test of the home series against Australia, after which he was left out of the series against Pakistan in the UAE. Duleep Mendis, Sri Lanka’s chairman of selectors, had said Samaraweera would not figure in the long-term plans of the selectors who intended to give more opportunities to youngsters.Sri Lanka play three Tests in South Africa, where they have never won a Test, followed by a five-ODI series. The first Test starts in Centurion on December 15.Sri Lanka squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Kaushal Silva (wk), Lahiru Thirimanne, Dimuth Karunaratne, Chanaka Welegedara, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Thisara Perera, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Thilan Samaraweera.