All posts by h716a5.icu

Peter Ingram, the former New Zealand cricketer, has suffered back and knee injuries after being run over by his tractor

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2014Peter Ingram, the former New Zealand cricketer, has suffered back and knee injuries after being run over by his tractor. According to , Ingram was moving cattle on his farm when his tractor keeled over on a steep bank.”I jumped off the tractor and the bank was so steep I landed about five meters in front of it and then it’s run me over and crushed a couple of vertebrae and dislocated my knee,” Ingram said.Ingram was flown to hospital after he hobbled a kilometer to find help from his neighbours. He spent six days in hospital before being discharged.”The back will heal up 100 per cent, they’ve said, and hopefully I’ll be able to play cricket again sometime, but the knee is a different story,” Ingram said. “I definitely won’t be able to bowl. I’ve busted the MCL [medial collateral ligament] and PCL [posterior cruciate ligament].”Ingram, 36, played two Tests, eight ODIs and three T20 games for New Zealand. He retired from first-class cricket in 2012, but still plays for Taranaki district, and is also a teacher at Waitara High School.

ESPNcricinfo previews the match between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils in Jaipur

The Preview by Sidharth Monga06-May-2013Match factsTuesday, May 7, 2013
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane have made sure Shane Watson is not the only one performing•AFPBig PictureFor the second game in a row, Rajasthan Royals run into a kamikaze side. Like Pune Warriors, Delhi Daredevils are going down too, but hold potential notoriety to take a team or two down with them. Given the nature of the format, it doesn’t take much to cause an upset: all it needs is for one of Daredevils’ big payers – now without the pressure of much to lose – to have a big day, and it could cost Royals a chance to progress further.Even against Warriors, a side that has been struggling through the tournament, Royals – now tied on second spot with three other teams with five matches to go – took some time to recover from the Warriors onslaught that came from the freedom that comes with the knowledge you have nothing left to lose. If anything, Daredevils hold a bigger threat. To make the pressure worse for Royals, Daredevils have almost been free points for most of their rivals in the top half of the table.With just six points from 11 games, Daredevils might not have been knocked out yet, but they are down for the count, and will do well to play assuming they are out. That freedom, along with quality, has been missing in their play this year.Form guideRajasthan Royals WLWWL
Delhi Daredevils LWWLWWatch out for…Not only has Mahela Jayawardene been failing with the bat, his selection of XIs and strategy have raised eyebrows too. His preference for Jeevan Mendis and Ben Rohrer to Roelof van der Merwe has been as criticised by pundits as has been his use of David Warner in the middle order. In Twenty20 cricket, you need to have your only in-form batsman face as many balls as possible, especially if he is a batsman who struggles against spin.Even Morne Morkel, an impact bowler, has played only six games out of 11.Rahul Dravid, on the other hand, has had it good with both the bat and captaincy moves. He has batted responsibly, used his impact player Shane Watson smartly and variously, and his opposition can’t plan beforehand for a certain set of opening batsmen or bowlers.Stats and trivia Apart from Chennai Super Kings, Royals are the only side that have three batsmen with more than 300 runs to their name in this IPL: Watson, Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane. None of the four teams tied at second spot with 14 points – Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad – has lost a game at home. Daredevils are the only team to have been bowled out twice for less than 100.Quotes”We are not thinking too far ahead. We just want to play one game at a time. We are playing against Delhi. We all know they are a strong side.”
“I am really looking forward to playing in the Champions Trophy. At the moment I would love to finish the IPL on a high as well.”

BCCI president N Srinivasan has agreed to call for a working committee meeting next week to discuss the corruption issues plaguing the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2013BCCI president N Srinivasan has agreed to call for a working committee meeting next week to discuss the corruption issues plaguing the IPL, following the arrest of Gurunath Meiyappan, his son-in-law and a top official of the Chennai Super Kings. The date of the meeting is yet to be confirmed. It was initially planned for the next weekend but following the resignations of the BCCI secretary and treasurer on Friday, ESPNcricinfo understands it is now likely to be held mid-week, “either Tuesday or Wednesday.”On Friday, Anurag Thakur, the president of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association and a BJP member of parliament, had joined the chorus of BCCI officials asking for a meeting to deal with the problems facing Indian cricket after the arrests of three Rajasthan Royals players on charges of spot-fixing and Gurunath on charges of betting. Thakur had not yet spoken out on the issue until today.”We are talking to various members of the board and I have spoken to the president to convene a meeting and discuss all these issues in the meeting,” Thakur, who is also a joint-secretary of the BCCI, had said. “I think it’s very important to convene a meeting, I have spoken to the president and the secretary asking them to convene a meeting and I think they will convene a meeting over the next few days.”I have spoken to Mr Ajay Shirke (BCCI treasurer), he is also keen to have a meeting. Let there be a meeting where everyone can come and speak their opinion.” Thakur’s comments came a day after Shirke said he would consider resigning as BCCI treasurer because of the manner in which the board had handled the corruption scandal.Earlier today, Sachin Tendulkar broke his silence via a statement, saying he was shocked and disappointed by the developments in Indian cricket over the last fortnight.ESPNcricinfo understands that senior BCCI officials have been in constant discussion with Srinivasan, asking him to step aside from his office as board president until the three-man commission completes its inquiry into his son-in-law Gurunath, the Super Kings owners India Cements and the owners of Rajasthan Royals. Srinivasan, however, had paid no heed to their advice.The working committee does not have constitutional authority to ask the president to step down. What it can do, however, is pass the resolution calling for a special general body meeting and, with that, set in motion the procedure required for the impeachment of the BCCI president.It would require ten BCCI members to send out written requests before the special general body meeting commences in order to begin impeachment proceedings against the president.The working committee, which is responsible for the board’s functioning, constitutes of 24 members at the moment. Besides the nine office-bearers, it includes a representative from each of the five permanent Test centres, another representative from an association from the five zones by rotation, and those from the affiliated units who have hosted a Test match in the last two years.*14.00GMT May 31: This article has been updated after news of the BCCI calling for a working committee meeting came in

Harbhajan Singh is all set to become the 10th Indian to play 100 Tests after he was confirmed in the XI for the Chennai Test

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-2013Harbhajan Singh has said he is a bit nervous but he will be all right before he steps out to play against Australia on Friday, which will make him the 10th Indian to have played 100 Tests. India don’t usually divulge team news before the toss, but made an exception this time. It would not have needed such confirmation in the usual course, but Harbhajan has mostly been out of the side and has played only one Test in more than 18 months, and is making a comeback into the squad.The landmark Test will come against Harbhajan’s favourite opposition, Australia, and at a venue where 12 years ago he applied the finishing touches to one of the greatest turnarounds in Test history, finishing off as joint Man of the Series against Australia. Harbhajan has taken 408 wickets from 99 Tests at an average of 32.27 and a strike-rate of 68.1.”It’s a big game,” Harbhajan said. “[The previous] 99 are gone. Obviously a bit nervous but I am sure I will be fine. I have faced these situations before.”I have gone through times when I was not doing well or when I was doing well and got too excited. These things happen. Bit nervous to start with, but I will be fine. Once I get away with 100, we will see what needs to be done to play another 50-odd. Probably I will have to work even harder.”Harbhajan said he was aware of the gap between the last few Tests, but he said he wanted to look ahead and make sure there was no such gap between the upcoming appearances. He remembered when he made his debut as a 17-year-old, in Bangalore against Australia, as just a wide-eyed kid.”Had no clue about what was going to happen,” Harbhajan said. “To be honest I was a little kid on the park. I was starstruck at looking at players. ‘Wow I am playing alongside [Sachin] Tendulkar, [Javagal] Srinath, Anil Kumble. These are all my heroes. I am playing today with them.’ Of course I have come a long way. At that moment I never thought I would play for India this long a time.”Harbhajan thanked his seniors profusely. “God has been very kind,” he said. “Big thanks to all my team-mates and great seniors like Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Srinath, Rahul Dravid, Laxman. They have been fantastic. I don’t think I would have achieved this without their support, and would like to thank each and every one who supported me and stood by me. Just want to go out and enjoy this big match.”Harbhajan might have forgotten to mention the name of Sourav Ganguly on that list, but he came back to it and thanked him too. “I am just repeating names, but I couldn’t have achieved this without their support.”Harbhajan said the seniors helped him learn to never give up. “Of course it’s been a journey with a lot of ups and downs. No one can always be on the top. No one can always be down. You will have ups and downs. Not just as a cricket, but as a normal guy too.”What I have learned from my seniors is to never give up. I have seen all these guys have done so well for India. And made themselves great cricketers, great ambassadors for the game. One thing in common was they never give up. That’s what made this team successful. They showed us how to work hard. They made us believe we can win anywhere and from any situation. I am very proud I have played with these cricketers.”Harbhajan said growing as a person mattered as much as doing well as a cricket. “I have definitely grown up,” he said. “I have made a few mistakes early in my career due to my extra aggression. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. Of course with time I have learned a lot and am looking forward to doing even better as a person. You might play this game for 15 years or so, but what sort of person you are matters the most. Everybody wants to be a better person than he was yesterday.”The last few years haven’t been easy for Harbhajan. He has had to face a lot of criticism for his ineffectiveness of late, especially after Anil Kumble’s retirement. He was asked how he deals with being possibly the most criticised man among those who have taken 400 Test wickets. The reply was belligerent.”How do I handle? I just keep quiet,” Harbhajan said. “Everybody has got their opinion. Unfortunately or fortunately, people have not played up to that level. Those kind of guys, if they say I am not good enough to play for India or if I have not done enough, it doesn’t matter. Who cares? What matters is what my team thinks of me, what my team-mates think of me. End of the day those guys are going to be there for you. As I have said everybody has got their opinion. Even I have got my opinion for others, it doesn’t mean I am always right.”Yet there was time, and the mood, for candour. Asked what he has been working on when outside the side, Harbhajan made a mockery of all mystery-ball announcements spinners make nowadays. “Small adjustments from point to point,” he said. “I have not developed any mystery ball. [There is no fourth one or fifth one – taking on from the doosra, which literally translates to the second one. If the first one comes out all right, it will be enough to get the wickets]

Pakistan laboured in pursuit of a modest target to level the series but a combination of rotten luck and determined South African bowling played its part in their struggles

The Report by Firdose Moonda21-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Misbah-ul-Haq scored his second half-century of the series, helping Pakistan recover from a poor start with a 153-run stand with Imran Farhat•AFPSmart stats

Pakistan’s win is their fourth against South Africa in matches played in South Africa since 2000. In the same period, this is their second win in Durban.

Since 2009, South Africa have lost at least two matches in seven out of nine home ODI series. The only team that failed to win two matches in a series in South Africa in the same period is Zimbabwe.

Mohammad Hafeez became only the fourth player overall and the third Pakistan batsman to be dismissed obstructing the field. Rameez Raja was the first to be out in this fashion for 99 against England in 1987.

For only the second time, South Africa lost their first two wickets for no runs. The previous time this happened (against India in Cape Town in 2006), the hosts went on to win.

The duck is only Hashim Amla’s second in ODIs. His previous one (also a first-ball duck) came against Australia in Port Elizabeth in 2011.

The 153-run stand between Misbah-ul-Haq and Imran Farhat is the third-highest partnership for Pakistan against South Africa and the second-highest fourth-wicket stand for Pakistan in ODIs against South Africa,

Among players without a single ODI century, Misbah (22 fifties) has the third-highest run-aggregate. Only Andrew Jones of New Zealand has more half-centuries (25) but no century.

AB de Villiers’ strike rate of 69.44 is his third-lowest strike rate for a fifty-plus score and his lowest ever for a fifty-plus score in South Africa.

Hold a mirror up to Pakistan’s match-winning innings at Kingsmead and you will see South Africa’s, minus one major crack. Both sides lost early wickets before being anchored by a sizeable partnership, and Misbah-ul-Haq and Imran Farhat’s 153-run stand made the ultimate difference.Misbah scored his second half-century in the series and Farhat celebrated his return to the side with a well-paced knock. Farhat fell with only nine runs to get and by then he had done enough to negate South Africa’s attack. On the whole, they were too generous in the extras department and lacked the same bite Pakistan had shown in the Powerplays.Pakistan got first use of a pitch South Africa were worried would be too dry; they ordered it to be juiced up on the eve of the match. But the surface could not be credited for the top-order collapse as much as the potency of Pakistan’s opening bowlers. Mohammed Irfan stunned South Africa with the first two deliveries of the match. He had Hashim Amla caught behind and removed Colin Ingram with a yorker.Graeme Smith joined the procession when Junaid Khan bowled him off a full toss bowling on leg stump. Junaid plucked the fourth when Farhaan Behardien inside-edged through to Kamran Akmal and South Africa were reeling at 38 for 4.In that mess, lay an opportunity for David Miller to make an impact and he almost let it go, while he was dropped on 9. Pakistan paid for that mistake as Miller taunted them with some streaky shots. He edged to third man twice and survived an lbw review off Saeed Ajmal. But, he was strong on the sweep and reverse-paddle and brought up his third half-century off 63 balls. AB De Villiers had already reached his fifty by then. He only scored one boundary in the partnership, as he focussed on strike-rotation.De Villiers, however, may have missed a trick by not taking the Powerplay while Miller was still there. He waited until it was mandatory by which time Miller was out, trapped in front by Ajmal. He reviewed it in vain and may have even cost his captain later on. De Villiers was caught behind sweeping Ajmal and he had no reviews left to question whether he had gloved the ball or not. The Powerplay, which also included the wicket of Ryan McLaren, yielded 17 runs and two wickets to put Pakistan firmly in control.Robin Peterson helped South Africa go past the 230-mark but with the knowledge that scores above 250 are rare at the ground, Pakistan would have been confident. Their start to the chase would have hurt that. Mohammed Hafeez became the first batsman in international cricket to be dismissed obstructing the field under the new laws, and Kamran Akmal was caught magnificently by Miller. Hafeez was livid with his dismissal, but it was nothing more than application of the playing conditions. When returning for a second run, he altered the line of his path slightly to be struck, but it was enough to be ruled out. De Villiers fell prey to this law in a domestic match shortly after it was introduced and knew that an appeal would likely result in a wicket.Farhat and Akmal showed some aggression but also flirted with danger. When Farhat spliced a ball back to Dale Steyn, he could have been caught in the follow-through but Steyn fell hard on his chest. Steyn bowled two more overs before leaving the field clutching his shoulder. Akmal didn’t have the same luck. When he cut to point, Miller was waiting. The fortune pendulum went back Pakistan’s way when Younis Khan was dropped by Smith at slip but that did not cost South Africa because played on in the same over.At 33 for 3, Farhat and Misbah-ul-Haq had to do what de Villiers and Miller did for South Africa. They had to employ immense patience in the face of strangulation from Peterson, who could have had Farhat for 26, had de Villiers held on to a bottom edge. The pair was content to bide time. The stand was not risk free, however. Misbah scored the fifth and sixth boundaries of the innings in the 25th and 26th over, and they were both streaky – an inside edge and a top-edge.With nerves rising, de Villiers took a gamble and brought on Ingram – who has not bowled in international cricket – for some part-time leg spin. Misbah smashed him for two sixes down the ground with a four sandwiched in between. The over cost 17 runs and was the most expensive of the innings but that was not the only reason it was notable. It brought the required-rate down to under six and took the pressure off Pakistan considerably.Another boundary was not scored for three overs but the body language had changed. South Africa were desperate, Pakistan hopeful, and Misbah sensed a century. He played a selection of stylish strokes, a majority of them in his preferred straight area. He was the favourite of the two in-batsmen to register three-figures but top-edged Peterson to Behardien at midwicket.When Shahid Afridi boomed briefly and then went bust, the path was clear for Farhat to finish the job. The shot that defined his innings was a six over Steyn’s head when he cleared his front leg and swatted the ball over the boundary. That took him into the 90s and that was when the excitement got to him.In his haste to bring up a milestone, Farhat tried to clear the in-field but was caught by Berhardien who chased it down from cover. By then, Pakistan needed runs in single-figures and even though Wahab Riaz was run out trying to get them, Ajmal and Shoaib Malik finished it off. The series will be decided on Sunday in Benoni where South Africa could find themselves without Steyn and Smith, who has an ankle problem.

Despite a strong year in the format, Kumar Sangakkara remained firm on his decision to retire after the World Cup, stating that he did not wish to “take up the spot of another player”

Andrew Fidel Fernando13-Dec-20141:27

Sangakkara ‘at peace’ with ODI retirement

If Kumar Sangakkara had a perfect Kandyan farewell – which featured a series win, a raucous full house, and a century – its mood was dampened slightly by one question: why is he already planning retirement?Sangakkara has had a rich year in ODIs, hitting 1382 runs at 47.03, and leads the series run-scorers’ list by 134 runs. Age has seemingly only enhanced him, as four consecutive years with over 1000 ODI runs will attest. Those runs have come quickest in the past two years, when he has struck at close to 90.News that he will retire from ODIs after the World Cup has prompted widespread pleas for him to stay on as long as he is scoring runs, but Sangakkara himself sees it differently.”If I’m not able to play in the next World Cup when one World Cup ends, there is no point in me sticking around,” Sangakkara said after the sixth ODI. “All I’ll end up doing is taking up the spot of another player.””We have four years to build up a good team. Today, Dinesh Chandimal came in after a while and played a very special, very important innings. Just like that, the likes of Lahiru Thirimanne, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera have plenty of ability and plenty of talent. We need to give them time and opportunities, just like we had when we were younger. They need time to settle, and mature and win another World Cup after this next one.”Sangakkara also confirmed he was in talks with Surrey about a county stint in 2015, and that the details of his Test future had not yet been nailed down. He strongly suggested he would not play beyond the India series penciled in for next August, at the latest.”My plans for next year are a case of finalising my Test career, and ensuring I can keep my word to the people that I’ve given my word to,” he said. “The only thing left is to think about my Test career beyond the World Cup. But I don’t see myself playing more than a couple of series at the most.Kumar Sangakkara is more at peace with his own ODI retirement than some•AFP”Playing for Surrey is something that I really want to do as well. Graham Ford is there. I’ve worked with Fordie, and he’s been brilliant for Sri Lankan cricket, and personally to me. He’s been a fantastic influence in my career. The idea is not to go cold turkey with retirement, but to slowly wind it down and make sure I don’t drive my family nuts by staying at home all day. Hopefully I’ll be able to make it there and have a good season.”Though he will not play an ODI in Sri Lanka beyond Tuesday’s match, there is a chance Sangakkara will play again for Sri Lanka in Kandy. Trinity College, who own and maintain the ground at Asgiriya, have asked for a Test next year, and if they are granted a match, Sangakkara may play one more game at the ground where he made his name as a teenager. But regardless of Trinity’s request, the Pallekele ground is also still in contention to host Tests next year.His run-a-ball 112 made for a memorable last ODI at home, though Sangakkara said he had not begun the match with a burning desire to get to triple figures. “I just wanted to go out with a win, and to seal the series before we go to Colombo. We don’t want to go to Colombo, have it be the final crunch game, and have other emotions and muddy the waters. We just wanted to make sure we had a good performance here. It was never a question of going out there to score a hundred.”As the innings progressed, England bowled pretty well at the start, and it was hard work. Dilshan stuck around and we managed to build a partnership. Once that partnership progressed, run-scoring became a bit easier. Then once you get past the 70s and 80s, it was a case of trying to put pressure back on England.”The final ODI, which is now a dead rubber, will also be Mahela Jayawardene’s final match of any kind, in Sri Lanka. Tillakaratne Dilshan, however, has suggested he may play ODIs beyond the World Cup.

Netherlands chased down a 97-run target in 21.4 overs to secure a comfortable win after Mudassar Bukhari and Timm van der Gugten had razed the UAE batting order in the first ODI in Rotterdam

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jul-2012
ScorecardNetherlands chased down a 97-run target in 21.4 overs to secure a comfortable win after Mudassar Bukhari and Timm van der Gugten had razed the UAE batting order in the first ODI in Rotterdam. UAE made an encouraging start to score 25 runs but Bukhari bowled opener Haroon Iftikhar with the fourth ball of his second over and two balls later, he accounted for Shaiman Anwar. At the other end, van der Gugten took two more wickets in his first three balls push UAE into further trouble. UAE never recovered from the initial shock and kept losing wickets in quick intervals. A fighting 41 off 81 balls by Rohan Mustafa helped UAE to hobble to 96.The total never challenged Netherlands as Tom Cooper led the chase with a quick 35-ball 37 as Netherlands took a 1-0 lead in the two match series. The next match will be played on July 23 in Deventer.

Yorkshire have signed David Miller, the South African batsman, as their second overseas player for the Friends Life T20.

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2012Yorkshire have signed David Miller, the South African batsman, as their second overseas player for the Friends Life t20. He joins Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who is already with the county.Miller, 22, played for Durham in last season’s competition, scoring 212 runs in 13 matches, including one half-century as Durham reached the quarter-final, losing at Hampshire. He has also played in this season’s IPL, with 98 runs in six innings for Kings XI Punjab.”David is available for the whole tournament which made him an attractive proposition,” Yorkshire’s director of cricket Martyn Moxon said. “You look at his strike-rate, he averages 120-plus per 100 balls, and in the Indian Premier League he’s been scoring at 150-plus.He’s that explosive type of player we’ve been looking for. I’m excited by the squad we’ve assembled for this campaign.”Miller, a powerful middle-order batsman, has also played eight T20s for South Africa and 16 ODIs, including a best of 59 from 51 balls against Australia in Port Elizabeth. He made his international debut in May 2010, where he top-scored in a T20 against West Indies.Yorkshire’s first game in the Flt20 is against Miller’s club of last year, Durham, at Headingley on June 15. He will hope to help Yorkshire to their first quarter final since 2007.

A round-up of the Group A matches of the Ranji Trophy that took place on December 7, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2013
ScorecardHarshal Patel triggered panic in the Karnataka camp with a five-wicket haulKarnataka were coasting towards a first-innings lead in Lahli but there was room for afternoon drama following a batting collapse. Harshal Patel ran through the middle and lower order with a five-wicket haul, leaving Karnataka nine down and still needing two to overhaul the home side’s 247. Karnataka eventually scraped through and ended the second day six ahead with a wicket in hand.Karnataka got off to a strong start, with their openers Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul adding 96. Ashish Hooda and Patel struck quickly, reducing Karnataka to 120 for 3. Rahul and captain CM Gautam then added 97 to put Karnataka on track towards taking an innings lead. The trouble started when Sachin Rana got rid of Gautam for 54. Karnataka’s mainstay, Rahul, fell two short of a hundred when he was bowled by Patel. Karnataka had lost half their side for 224 and the score quickly became 234 for 7 after Patel, the right-arm seamer, trapped Ganesh Satish and Stuart Binny leg before. Patel bowled Abhimanyu Mithun with the visitors still 11 short of equaling the score and there was further drama when Ronit More fell with the score on 246. Abrar Kazi and the No.11 HS Sharath saw the side through the nervous moments.
ScorecardAn unbeaten 158 by Rajat Bhatia helped Delhi to 442 before the seamers removed three Odisha top-order wickets on the second day in Sambalpur. Resuming on 268 for 6, Delhi lost the early wicket of Varun Sood, off Suryakant Pradhan. Odisha struggled to dislodge the lower order, with Sumit Narwal and Ashish Nehra scoring 40 each and adding 65 and 92 respectively with Bhatia. Bhatia went on to score is 13th first-class century and his knock included 18 fours and two sixes.Narwal and Nehra struck early with the new ball by removing Bikas Pati and Niranjan Behera in the seventh over. Natraj Behera and Govind Podder gave the innings some stability with a stand of 53, before Parvinder Awana removed Podder for 34. Odisha were in a spot of bother at 70 for 3, but Natraj remained unbeaten 53 and had Biplab Samantray for company till stumps.
ScorecardFaiz Fazal and Ravi Jangid took Vidarbha to a commanding position with a solid 203-run stand for the second wicket, giving them a lead of 148 runs at the end of the second day against Punjab in Mohali. Fazal, who already has two hundreds this season, fell short of another one by one run and Jangid scored 104, his second first-class hundred.Fazal and Jangid started the day at 75 for 1 and took the total to 222 before the former was dismissed by Sandeep Sharma. Vidarbha’s innings stuttered from there as they lost five more wickets within 19 runs as Sandeep and VRV Singh ran through the middle and lower order. Sandeep trapped Hemang Badani and Shrikant Wagh lbw for ducks on their first and second ball respectively, to finish with 4 for 78 on the second day.At 241 for 7, and with a lead of 57, Vidarbha were steered to safety with a partnership of 91 between Urvesh Patel and No.9 Amol Jungade. While Patel scored a patient 32 off 99, Jungade scored a brisk 59 off 83 with 11 fours.

Lendl Simmons finally made his first international hundred and, with the help of Marlon Samuels, powered West Indies to a total that proved too much for Bangladesh

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran13-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Marlon Samuels and Lendl Simmons had a partnership of 150•Associated PressFive years after his debut, Lendl Simmons finally made his first international hundred, and with the help of another batsman who has resurrected his international career this year, Marlon Samuels, powered West Indies to a total that proved too much for Bangladesh in the first ODI in Mirpur. The pair put on 150 for the first wicket before a power-packed Kieron Pollard cameo further demoralised a Bangladesh team that was on a high after their dramatic win in the Twenty20 two days ago.Bangladesh were asked to chase down 299, which was higher than any ODI score they have made in the past two years, and despite a quick half-century from former captain Shakib Al Hasan and a patient one from makeshift opener Naeem Islam, they ended well short.Simmons had made half-centuries in six of his previous nine ODI innings, but failed to reach triple-digits each time. On Thursday, he made a fidgety start before settling in on a surface that didn’t have much in it for either the medium-pacers or the spinners.In the sixth over, he was hurried into a pull which was top-edged just wide of the bowler, then he mistimed a straight drive with which he still managed to find the boundary, before jumping outside leg as he looked to crash a short ball through off without managing to connect. He punched the air in frustration after missing out on a cut in the next over, but then showed how good he could be with fours through cover off the back and front foot.Simmons was the dominant partner in an opening stand with Adrian Barath, whose usual effervescent batting style wasn’t on display in a watchful 21 that consumed 47 deliveries. Barath was struggling with a hamstring problem, and retired hurt after the 15th over, the first victim of the newly introduced ban on runners.That provided no relief for Bangladesh as Samuels began aggressively – muscling a six over wide long-on and following it up with a slap past cover for four. Both Samuels and Simmons soon settled down and largely dealt in singles against an unthreatening Bangladeshi attack. The odd poor delivery was smacked for a boundary, like the high full toss offered by Shakib in the 29th over, and West Indies smoothly progressed to 133 for 0 after 30 overs.Smart stats

Lendl Simmons’ 122 is the fifth century and the highest ODI score made by a West Indian batsman against Bangladesh. He surpassed Brian Lara’s 117 scored in Dhaka in 1999.

Simmons’ century is his first in ODIs. He has scored eight half-centuries in 30 matches and averages 34.07.

West Indies lost their first wicket with the score on 217. The 150-run stand between Marlon Samuels and Simmons after Adrian Barath retired hurt is the third-highest opening stand for West Indies against Bangladesh.

West Indies’ score of 298 is their second-highest score in ODIs against Bangladesh behind the 314 in Dhaka in 1999.

The 78-run stand between Imrul Keyes and Naeem Islam is the second-highest second-wicket stand for Bangladesh against West Indies.

Simmons then unfurled a couple of nonchalant sixes over long-on off Abdur Razzak to close in on his century. He reached the milestone in the 37th over, a delivery after Samuels was dropped by the keeper. There were more opportunities that Bangladesh wasted in the field, with Simmons, a notoriously poor runner, reprieved at least twice when a direct hit would have run him out.The final onslaught began in the 40th over, the last of the batting Powerplay, with Simmons bludgeoning a series of fours. The bowler, Shafiul Islam, also sprayed one down the leg side to concede five wides as 21 runs came off the over, leaving the new captain Mushfiqur Rahim with his hands on his head. Both Simmons and Samuels perished in a Rubel Hossain over soon after, but Pollard pulled out some massive hits in a 25-ball 41 to push West Indies close to 300.Bangladesh never looked like they could keep up with the tall asking-rate. Their best chance was if Tamim Iqbal gave them a flier but he was bogged down by the West Indies new-ball pair of Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul. He tried to break free when spin was introduced, trying to hammer Devendra Bishoo’s first ball, but could only edge it to the keeper.The other opener, Naeem, had even more trouble in providing the early momentum. At one stage he was 19 off 50 deliveries, and Bangladesh were crawling along at well below four an over when a much brisker rate was called for. Imrul Kayes, the regular opener, had to come in at No. 3 as he was off the field towards the end of the West Indies innings. He tried to inject some momentum with early boundaries and at the halfway stage Bangladesh still had an outside chance after reaching 101 for 1.That was snuffed out in the batting Powerplay that was taken after 25 overs, in accordance with the new rules that mandate that it should be completed within the 40th over. As it has done so often, the batting Powerplay resulted in a slew of wickets: both set batsmen, Kayes and Naeem, were dismissed, and Mohammad Ashraful edged a catch to the keeper.At 130 for 4, the game was pretty much over though Shakib raised some hopes with an enterprising 67. Still, it wasn’t enough to spoil Denesh Ramdin’s day – he captaining West Indies for the first time, on his return to ODI cricket, in the absence of Darren Sammy who was out with an upset stomach.