A round-up of the Franchise 1-Day Cup matches that took place on November 25

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2011Centuries from Alviro Petersen and Jonathan Vandiar led Lions to a 29-run win on the D/L method against Dolphins in Potchefstroom, their first victory of the Franchise 1-Day Cup after five defeats and two no-results. Petersen scored an unbeaten 145 off 144 balls and Vandiar made 109 in an opening partnership of 232, which ended in the 41st over. Rain forced Lions’ innings to end on 284 for 2 after 47 overs. The Dolphins’ target was revised to 287.Dolphins stumbled early in their chase and were 65 for 3 before a steadying partnership between Divan van Wyk and Daryn Smit. They were 145 for 4 after 31.5 overs when the floodlights failed at Senwes Park and ten overs were lost as a result. Dolphins now had a revised target of 227 in 37 overs. They lost wickets in a hurry in the pursuit of quick runs after the resumption and finished on 197 for 8. Smit was the top-scorer with 67 while Cliffe Deacon took 2 for 27 in seven overs.Cape Cobras claimed top spot in the league with a six-wicket win against Warriors at Newlands. Warriors suffered from a regular loss of wickets after choosing to bat: their largest partnership was 50, between Arno Jacobs and Colin Ingram for the second wicket. Jacobs made 55, and Johan Botha contributed an unbeaten 57 at No. 6, but contributions from the others were meagre. Justin Kemp took 3 for 34, while Johann Louw, Charl Langeveldt and Rory Kleinveldt claimed two wickets each as Warriors were dismissed for 244 in 50 overs.Cobras were jolted early in their chase, with Makhaya Ntini dismissing Graeme Smith and Andrew Puttick to reduce them to 19 for 2 in 6.5 overs. Half-centuries from Owais Shah and JP Duminy, however, steadied the innings and Justin Ontong scored 65 off 62 balls to help his team reach the target in 46.5 overs.Knights medium-pacer Malusi Siboto took 5 for 38 to dismiss Titans for 186 in 39.5 overs and set up a three-wicket victory for his team in in Kimberley. Six of Titans’ top seven batsmen made double-figure scores but no one managed more than Faf du Plessis’ 40. They lost wickets in two clutches, to slip from 59 for 1 to 97 for 4, and then from 153 for 4 to 186 all out.Knights scored briskly in their chase but also lost wickets too regularly for comfort. They did not have a half-century partnership in their innings but Rilee Rossouw held it together, scoring an unbeaten 65 off 64 balls. The next best score was opener Morne van Wyk’s 24. Rowan Richards took 3 for 34 but couldn’t prevent Knights from reaching 187 for 7 in 31.1 overs.

Canterbury fast bowler Hamish Bennett has been ruled out of the HRV Cup, New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 competition, with a back injury

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2011Canterbury fast bowler Hamish Bennett has been ruled out of the HRV Cup, New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 competition, with a back injury. The injury had been troubling Bennett for a few months and he will now undergo medical tests, before a treatment plan is drawn up.”Hamish has been suffering from a lower back injury since the fast bowling camp earlier in the year,” Kim Littlejohn, the New Zealand selector, said. “Unfortunately he has suffered a setback and won’t be fit for to play for the Canterbury Wizards in the upcoming HRV Cup. He requires further assessment by medical specialists to determine the best course of action.”Bennett last played a competitive match in March, for New Zealand against Sri Lanka in the group stage of the World Cup. He was ruled out of the latter stages of the tournament after injuring his ankle and Achilles tendon. He missed New Zealand’s tour of Zimbabwe in October and November due to his sore back.

Will Beer will return from club cricket in Australia to join Sussex’s trip to the Caribbean T20 tournament.

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2011Will Beer, the Sussex legspinner, will return from club cricket in Australia to join Sussex’s trip to the Caribbean T20 tournament. The 10-team competition, also featuring Canada and Netherlands, takes place in January.Having played five times for England Under-19s, Beer has been attending the Darren Lehmann cricket academy and playing grade cricket for Port Adelaide. He will fly home and join the Sussex squad with batsman Matt Machan, who has been playing for Dandenong CC in Melbourne.Beer, 23, is looking to revive his career. He was a regular in the Sussex one-day and Twenty20 sides in 2009 – when they won the Friends Life t20 – and in 2010 but only made three appearances last season.He will be part of a 13-man squad captained by Michael Yardy although big-names are missing. Matt Prior and Monty Panesar will be in UAE on England duty, Luke Wright will be playing for Melbourne Stars in Australia’s Twenty20 Big Bash, while Ed Joyce and Murray Goodwin are also absent.Sussex will play Netherlands, Jamaica, Combined Campuses and Colleges and Barbados in trying to qualify for the knockout stages.Professional cricket manager Mark Robinson said it was an exciting opportunity for his squad. “For the less experienced players to play alongside some more senior colleagues will not only be good for them but also allow us to see how well they are developing.”Sussex squad Michael Yardy (capt), Will Adkin, Amjad Khan, James Anyon, Will Beer, Ben Brown, Joe Gatting, Naveed Arif, Andrew Hodd, Chris Liddle, Matt Machan, Chris Nash, Kirk Wernars

Worcestershire have announced a pre-tax profit of more than £200,000 for 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2012Worcestershire have announced a pre-tax profit of more than £200,000 for 2011. The county, that secured Division One status despite losing their opening six games of the County Championship, also reported increased ticket and membership sales.Although revenue for the accounts up to September 30, 2011 was marginally down at £2.89m, due to a slight drop in ECB funding, the surplus after tax was £186,656 – up from £103,627 in 2010.”Having gained promotion to the first division of the County Championship for 2011, retaining this status for 2012 was a key target and to have managed this with a young and developing squad is a major achievement,” Worcestershire chief executive David Leatherdale said.”The support from members and spectators continues to be strong which has seen a growth in revenue from both membership and ticket sales, as well as an increase in physical numbers attending matches, and is no doubt a reflection on the loyal and growing support the club has.”

England Women continued their unbeaten start to their tour of New Zealand by beating New Zealand Emerging Players Women by 54 runs at Lincoln. It was their third consecutive win in the warm-up matches ahead of a five-match T20 series and three ODIs agains

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2012

ScorecardEngland Women continued their unbeaten start to their tour of New Zealand by beating New Zealand Emerging Players Women by 54 runs at Lincoln. It was their third consecutive win in the warm-up matches ahead of a five-match T20 series and three ODIs against New Zealand, which begins on February 17.Lydia Greenway led England’s innings as they posted a competitive target. Greenway’s 46 from 40 balls helped her side to 140 for 8. She struck four boundaries and shared 34 from 23 balls with Tamsin Beaumont, who made 13. But England failed to build a big partnership; Laura Marsh’s 19-ball 17 the best of a number of other small contributions.Greenway also provided England’s first breakthrough in the field with the run out of Janet Brehaut for four as England began sharply and easily defended their score. Only one partnership developed – Anna Petersen and Meg Kendal putting on 42 – but England managed to keep the run-rate slow and were always in control. Petersen was run out by Jenny Gunn for 41 as New Zealand’s chase ended in a whimper.”It was another solid performance from us,” Greenway said. “We got the runs on the board, stayed disciplined with the ball and took our opportunities in the field. And it was really satisfying to get some runs under my belt today before we head into the T20 series.”

New Zealand closed out day two in a state similar to their position the previous evening, struggling to compete with an opponent they had dominated in passages of play, but allowed to charge back emphatically in others

The Report by Andrew Fernando16-Mar-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Mark Gillespie picked up a career-best 5 for 59, but South Africa still ended the day on top•Getty Images

New Zealand closed out day two in a state similar to their position the previous evening, struggling to compete with an opponent they had dominated in passages of play, but allowed to charge back emphatically in others. That the hosts are not yet doomed is thanks to Mark Gillespie, who at 32 and after three years in the wilderness was a vexing selection for Hamilton, but produced a staggering burst of pace, movement and luck to decimate South Africa’s middle order and finish with 5 for 59. But AB de Villiers’ 83, a cameo from Morne Morkel, and Vernon Philander’s now vicious routine to New Zealand’s top order undid all Gillespie’s work, and left the hosts with four second-innings wickets down, still trailing by three, and a daunting climb to prevent their second successive loss inside three days at Seddon Park.New Zealand had had South Africa reeling at 88 for 6 in reply to their own 185, but could not maintain the intensity, as de Villiers shepherded the lower order with an effortless innings that made the chaos that came before seem outlandish. The ease of his progress betrayed the flatness of the surface that had browned considerably – the tawny pitch appeared unrecognisable from the green tinged surface that had been unveiled on day one. de Villiers made 63 with Mark Boucher for the seventh wicket, before continuing the recovery alongside Philander and Morkel – the latter took charge following de Villers’ ill-fortuned demise to add a further 34 with last man Imran Tahir, giving the visitors a 68-run head start in the second dig. The last four wickets had cost New Zealand 165.The hosts then dug themselves further into the mire, when Rob Nicol, Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill fell in the first five overs of their second innings. Nicol, perhaps, was unlucky – a bunted short ball dribbled off the bat, down his leg and onto the stumps – but McCullum and Guptill were out to the same stroke, falling away to the off side as they attempted a clip off the pads. McCullum missed entirely and was caught in front, while Guptill couldn’t control the shot and found short midwicket.Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson attempted a recovery, blunting the new-ball movement and negotiating Tahir’s first spell on a wearing pitch to add a sedate 57. But they were tested again, when the ball began to reverse late in the day, and Taylor could not dig out a hooping yorker from Dale Steyn that struck him in front.Although New Zealand had dismissed Graeme Smith and nightwatchman Steyn the previous evening, South Africa’s beginning to day two augured a day of toil, with Hashim Amla and Alviro Petersen settling gradually into their innings. Chris Martin and Doug Bracewell found a hint of movement in the air, but little off the pitch, and though their opening partnership was tight, it posed few penetrative threats to the overnight pair.But just as Amla began to add attractive scoring strokes to solid defence, Gillespie stung South Africa in a four-over salvo and transformed the outlook of the visitors’ innings, and for a while, the match.Amla was removed first, a thick edge from an attempted square drive flying low to backward point. Jacques Kallis then experienced the extremes of fortune in Gillespie’s next over. He top edged a short ball past fine leg for six, before glancing one down the leg side, only to turn around to see Kruger van Wyk celebrating his wicket. In the next over, Gillespie’s movement off the seam trapped Petersen lbw. Jacques Rudolph completed the quartet with a regulation edge, ending a seven-over period that yielded four big scalps for 25 runs.de Villiers meanwhile, had few issues timing the ball and working the field as New Zealand’s supporting cast failed to match Gillespie’s penetration. South Africa’s recovery was slow at times, but assured, under de Villiers and Boucher, who helped the side through to lunch.Boucher’s dismissal completed Gillespie’s five-wicket haul, but de Villiers was unfussed, as he called on one-day nous (shuffles across the crease to work the ball to the leg side, downward dabs to third man …) to keep the larger share of the strike, and minimise his fast-bowling team-mates’ exposure to tight New Zealand bowling. Ten boundaries, mostly through the off side, punctuated a steady stream of singles and twos, as de Villiers oversaw the eclipsing of the hosts’ total, and edged his side ahead.Morkel had hit three confident boundaries before de Villiers departed lucklessly – when a forward defence to Vettori spun back onto his stumps – and ratcheted up the tempo in the company of Imran Tahir, dispatching Gillespie for three successive fours upon the bowler’s return to the crease. Tahir wasted little time in matching Morkel’s ambition, though most of his 16 came from edges over or past the slips. The pair added an adventurous, and often fortuitous, 34 for the final wicket, before Williamson ended the innings with his third ball of the match.At stumps Williamson was unbeaten on 41 – his first substantial batting contribution of the series – alongside Vettori, unbeaten on nought.

Mike Yardy’s century put Sussex in command at Aigburth as the champions endured another tough day

Myles Hodgson at Aigburth13-Apr-2012
ScorecardMichael Yardy’s hundred built a big lead for Sussex•Getty Images

Sussex may have provided Lancashire with their early momentum towards
last summer’s historic title success, but they have been anything but
accommodating a year on and remain on course to inflict an early and
humiliating defeat to the defending champions.Last summer’s innings victory over Sussex at Aigburth, which was
followed by an equally convincing triumph over Somerset, provided
Lancashire with the belief to go on and end their 77-year wait for
Championship success but from the first morning of their defence they
have struggled to keep pace with a determined Sussex side led superbly
by Michael Yardy.Arriving at the crease with Sussex struggling on the opening day
Yardy steadied their innings and dominated a 164-run stand with Ed
Joyce that earned Sussex a 176-run first innings lead and set the
platform for what should be a comfortable victory at Lancashire’s
Merseyside base. A further four Lancashire top order wickets before
the close served to only put the gloss on Yardy’s earlier
determination.”I didn’t feel in throughout the innings,” Yardy said. “I always
thought there was a ball with your name on it. I think it’s a good
cricket wicket. It started off a little bit damp but overall there is
a bit of bounce and if you bowl well you get your rewards and if you
bat well you can score.”Realising it was not a wicket to try and take liberties, Yardy was
happy to play a patient game alongside the equally cautious Joyce and
they benefitted from Lancashire missing four catches behind the wicket
before lunch. Yardy was the chief beneficiary, missed on 85 and 98,
before claiming a century that was all the more remarkable for his
recent battle against depression.For all Sussex’s domination, however, Lancashire fought back
impressively well during the afternoon session. Gareth Cross,
Lancashire’s wicketkeeper, made amends for missing a regulation catch
to reprieve Joe Gatting by stumping Yardy as he toppled out of his
crease and earned Simon Kerrigan a second wicket in four overs with an
equally sharp catch off Gatting’s bottom edge.Those two breakthroughs allowed Lancashire to restrict Sussex to only
13 runs in the 17 overs after the interval, but the benefits of crease
occupation were there for all to see when Amjad Khan enjoyed some
lower order hitting that guided his side to 300 – an impressive total
on a wicket that claimed 13 wickets on the opening day.Facing a tricky final session and a major first innings deficit,
Lancashire again struggled against Steve Magoffin, Sussex’s impressive
Australian overseas signing. He continued his good work from the first
innings and has consistently extracted more bounce than any other
bowler from the River End, which prompted Stephen Moore into an edge
to slip while Karl Brown fell lbw shouldering arms to his next
delivery.Ashwell Prince, Lancashire’s South African overseas batsman, denied
Magoffin a debut hat-trick but Monty Panesar provided a glimpse of the
challenge facing the remaining batsmen by turning the ball away from
Steven Croft and clipping his off-stump bowling from the same end.Prince and Luke Procter survived 15 overs before the close, but on
Grand National Day Lancashire start as rank outsiders and facing their
first defeat in an opening Championship match of a season since 1998
when they lost at Hove.”We’re still in it because we have a couple of batters in there who
are playing well,” said Peter Moores, Lancashire’s positive-thinking
coach. “We need to get a lot more runs yet but at Liverpool when two
people get in it can look quite straightforward.”

05-Apr-2012
ScorecardDan Redfern celebrated a double first to lead an impressive Derbyshire fightback on the first day against Northamptonshire at Derby.Redfern, a 21-year-old left-hander, scored his maiden first-class century and also achieved the honour of becoming the first batsmen to make a hundred in the 2012 season.Ross Whiteley made 83 and shared a stand of 160 in 39 overs with Redfern, who made 110, following a fine spell from Jack Brooks which reduced the home side to 50 for 4 after Northants had won the toss.Whiteley finally fell to Brooks who finished with 5 for 61 as Derbyshire were bowled out for 286 but Northants slipped to 28 for 3 to trail by 258 at the close.The decision to put Derbyshire in looked a good one once Brooks switched to the Racecourse End with a stiff northerly at his back to take 3 for 17 in five overs, including New Zealand Test opener Martin Guptill.Guptil drove Chaminda Vaas for six and looked well set until he clipped Brooks firmly to square leg where Kyle Coetzer did well to cling on in the cold conditions. Wayne Madsen made only one in his first game as Derbyshire captain before he played on to Lee Daggett and Paul Borrington also fell for a single when he edged Brooks to first slip.Wes Durston looked in good touch until he played across the line at Brooks in the 19th over but Redfern played with authority to reach 50 from 55 balls before lunch. He had a let-off on 59 when David Willey dropped him diving at extra cover and Northants were to regret that as the fifth wicket pair took control.The century stand came up in 25 overs and Whiteley twice drove James Middlebrook for six, the second of which brought up his half-century which came off 85 balls and also included seven fours.
Redfern was given another life on 88 when Niall O’Brien dropped him off Middlebrook but he got to his hundred in his 46th first-class game by clipping Daggett for three through midwicket.Despite those two dropped catches, it had been a fine display of batting but when he was bowled by Willey aiming for his 14th four, the last six wickets fell for 76. But Derbyshire ended the day on top as Tony Palladino, who broke his jaw less than three weeks ago, had Rob Newton caught at second slip before Tim Groenewald removed Stephen Peters and Coetzer in consecutive overs.

England will play three practice matches before the first Test when they arrive in India in October for the winter tour

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2012England will play three practice matches before the first Test when they arrive in India in October for the winter tour. The itinerary, announced on Tuesday, confirmed the first leg of the tour, including four Tests, will finish on December 22 with the second Twenty20 before England return for the one-day series in early January.England’s build-up to the Test series is long by touring standards nowadays and replicates the lead-in they had for the 2010-11 Ashes in Australia. They are trying to avoid a repeat of the series against Pakistan in the UAE where Andy Flower admitted they were under-prepared with just two three-day games after a lengthy break. It is also in contrast to the brief preparation India had in England last year where they played a single match against Somerset having come straight from a tour of West Indies.The Test series will start in Ahmedabad on November 15 before moving to Mumbai, Kolkata and Nagpur making it England’s longest in India since 1984-85. Three new venues – Rajkot (new stadium), Dharamsala and Ranchi, MS Dhoni’s hometown – have been awarded ODIs with that series starting in Rajkot on January 11.The fixtures in Mohali and Dharamsala are both day-night games and could pose problems for the teams with freezing temperatures – Dharamsala is at a height of 5000 feet – and dew. The two T20Is will be played in Pune and Mumbai before Christmas; there is no warm-up match scheduled for that format.”This will be England’s first full tour of India since 2008 and I am sure that cricket fans in both countries will be eagerly anticipating an exciting series of contests in all three formats of the game,” ECB managing director Hugh Morris said.England tour to India 2012
30 October-1 November 3-day tour match Mumbai, CCI

3-5 November 3-day tour match Mumbai, BKC

8-11 November 4-day tour match Ahmedabad, SPS Navrangpura

15-19 November 1st Test Match Ahmedabad, Motera

23-27 November 2nd Test Match Mumbai, Wankhede Stadium

5-9 December 3rd Test Match Kolkata

13-17 December 4th Test Match Nagpur

20 December 1st T20 (f) Pune

22 December 2nd T20 (f) Mumbai, Wankhede Stadium

6 January 50-over tour match (D/N) Venue tbc

8 January 50 over tour match Venue tbc

11 January 1st ODI (D/N) Rajkot

15 January 2nd ODI (D/N) Kochi

19 January 3rd ODI (D/N) Ranchi

23 January 4th ODI (D/N) Dharamsala


27 January 5th ODI (D/N) Mohali


Mohammad Hafeez, after his maiden Test as Pakistan captain, has supported the ICC’s recommendation that the Decision Review System should be used for all series

Kanishkaa Balachandran in Galle25-Jun-2012Mohammad Hafeez, after his maiden Test as Pakistan captain, has supported the ICC’s recommendation that the Decision Review System (DRS) should be used for all series. Pakistan were on the receiving end of several poor umpiring decisions during their 209-run defeat in Galle, and they couldn’t do anything about it because there was no DRS.”One thing I want to say is that it is time for the highest authorities to make a decision about the DRS. It should be compulsory for every game,” Hafeez said. “I feel as a player, not having the DRS puts a lot of pressure on you and that pressure goes to the umpires.”Hafeez’s views were the same as those expressed by his coach Dav Whatmore, who had criticised the selective implementation of technology. Sri Lanka Cricket was unable to use DRS against Pakistan because of the costs involved, but Hafeez said it was time the ICC put its foot down.”If this technology can improve this game, then why not?,” Hafeez said. “The authorities should either go for it [DRS] or not at all.”Hafeez did not use the umpiring errors as an excuse for Pakistan’s defeat. He preferred to reflect on the positives, such as the improved batting performance in the second innings. Pakistan had collapsed for 100, conceding a first-innings lead of 372, but Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq made 80s in the second innings and helped them reach 300.”A big thumbs up to my team for the spirit and character they showed. It was tough out there, their conduct was pleasing,” Hafeez said. “I liked the way the boys fought it out on the last day when the conditions were tough. Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq and Adnan Akmal showed great character. These are positive signs for Pakistan going into the next two matches. They spent some time at the crease and that will give us confidence.”He was not pleased with his own form, though, having been dismissed for 20 and 4. “I know my form is not good and I’m working hard at it,” he said. “I’m sure that just spending time at the crease will give me more confidence.”Hafeez was standing in for the regular captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who was serving a one-Test ban for an over-rate offence in the ODIs. He said Misbah’s return for the second Test in Colombo will boost their batting.