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MS Dhoni was keen to build on the start Chennai Super Kings got when he came out to bat against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he said

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2013MS Dhoni was keen to build on the start Chennai Super Kings got when he came out to bat against Sunrisers Hyderabad but, he said, much of the credit for his spectacular half-century should go to the conditions. Dhoni blitzed 63 off 19 balls to propel Super Kings to 202, which eventually turned out to be a winning score – but not by too much.”We got off to a good start and it was important to build on that. One-eight-plus was easily chased here [by Super Kings against Titans], so considering the platform we got from Badri [Badrinath] and [Suresh] Raina, I looked to hit and it worked,” Dhoni said after the game. “I think the credit goes to the wicket. And, as you see these days, boundaries are not very big in T20s.”Short boundaries aside, dew, like in the game against Titans, played a big role in making it hard work for the bowlers all through. On Sunday, against Titans, Super Kings chased 186 with more ease than the margin of four wickets (with seven balls to spare) indicated. Here too, Sunrisers were in the running to get 203 while their openers Shikhar Dhawan and Parthiv Patel were adding 87 in nine overs. Once Super Kings got the breakthrough, though, the asking rate got away from Sunrisers depsite Darren Sammy’s late fight.Credit for Super Kings’ total would also have to go to Raina, who, for the second time in two games, put them in a winning position after they had lost M Vijay for a duck. Raina was involved in a 60-run stand with Dhoni, in 4.1 overs, on his way to 84 from 57. Speaking to the CLT20 website, Raina said Dhoni’s knock showed what a well-rounded batsman he is. “He is one of the finest players in the world. He knows exactly when to hit big and when to rotate the strike,” Raina said. “He is one of the finest strikers of the cricket ball.”I have learned a lot from him in terms of how to bat in pressure situations, how to keep your nerve and control your emotions. You need to be very clear in your mind about how exactly you want to plan your innings.”Raina said he was eager to play the big knock after giving his wicket after getting to 47 in the Titans match. “In the first game, when I scored 47, my plan was totally different. After that I decided that now when I get to a good start, I will bat till the end. I’m happy that I came from 47 to 84 today. Hopefully in the next game I’ll try to play 60-70 balls and maybe get a 100.”Super Kings batting, their traditional strength, made sure they’ve won two in two to begin the tournament, but the bowling remains a worry. Dhoni said managing in the field in unhelpful conditions was something the team had to work on. “I feel there were situations where we could have finished the overs well, say after giving a boundary in the first few balls of the over. It’s important to bowl dot balls, [if not] the side batting second can rotate freely and even if the required run rate is 11-12 per over, with dew around, it is chaseable.”The wicket was very good as the game progressed. There was more dew on the field later on and the ball was coming on nicely. It was difficult for the fast bowlers to execute [but] it worked well for those who used variations.”Super Kings have one more game in Ranchi, on Saturday against Brisbane Heat, to get their bowling right, before they move to Delhi for their final group game.

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

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.”

Showing enough good sense to put his more experienced team-mates to considerable shame, Moises Henriques granted Australia a stay of execution and a narrow lead after four days of the first Test in Chennai

The Report by Daniel Brettig25-Feb-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDavid Warner was one of the Australian batsmen who threw away a start•BCCIShowing enough good sense and simplicity of method to put his more experienced team-mates to considerable shame, Moises Henriques granted Australia a stay of execution and a narrow lead after four days of the first Test in Chennai. India seemed certain to wrap up the match for most of the day, until Henriques and Nathan Lyon formed the most substantial stand of the tourists’ innings with the last wicket available.Until that point MS Dhoni and R Ashwin had been the day’s dominant figures, torturing Australia with the bat and then the ball. Michael Clarke’s men were left with a familiar set of questions about why their bowlers could not extract similar results from a dustbowl, and why the majority of their batsmen had no workable method against the spinning, spitting ball.Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja all posed different questions, their triumvirate proving complimentary as the former’s prancing bounce contrasted with the latter’s sharp spin. Harbhajan provided something in between, bowling better than at any previous point in the match. All took advantage of the lead handed to them by Dhoni’s brilliantly brutal 224, which helped take the hosts’ innings well past 550 in the morning.Before Henriques, Australia’s batting carried the mentally weary tone of cricketers driven to distraction by Dhoni’s innings. Only Phillip Hughes and the captain, Michael Clarke, could rightly say they had been beaten by the unplayable. The rest were suffocated by accurate slow bowling that was never challenged for any length of time by a batsman sure of his technique and tactics, until Henriques strode to within 25 runs of a defiant debut century.Ed Cowan, Shane Watson and David Warner all squandered starts, a major sin on a subcontinental surface given the fact that some were always likely to receive a ghastly delivery early, as happened to Hughes against Jadeja, and Clarke against Ashwin.How different things appeared when India’s innings resumed. Dhoni was ninth out for 224, not only the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper but the highest by an Indian captain, having taken his stand with Bhuvneshwar Kumar to 140 runs with a handful of further impudent blows against Australia’s strung out bowling attack.James Pattinson defeated Dhoni with a bouncer that India’s captain gloved behind while trying to hook, and deservedly claimed his fifth wicket. He was Australia’s only sustained threat with the ball across the innings. Nathan Lyon’s figures of 3 for 215 were among the most expensive recorded by an Australian bowler in a Test, and unlike Jason Krejza he did not have eight wickets to show for it.Watson opened due to Warner’s bout of gastro, and hoisted one six from Harbhajan as lunch drew near, but off the final ball of the morning popped a catch up to slip from glove or bat handle as he prodded forward, Ashwin rewarded for his line and bounce. Cowan fought his way through but appeared highly vulnerable to Jadeja’s left-arm spin, the ball fizzing out of the rough with three short-leg fielders sweating on any deflections from glove or inside edge.The afternoon began with Cowan and Warner in stolid occupation, eschewing most shots and essentially trying to survive on a surface offering treacherous turn and bounce to skilful-enough purveyors of spin. They appeared to be getting somewhere at 64 for 1, but Cowan’s closed-face push to midwicket was to cost him when a quicker, straighter delivery from Ashwin beat the bat and pinned him in front of middle. Cowan was angered, thinking perhaps that he had been given out caught at silly point, but the lbw looked adjacent enough.Hughes was immediately confronted by Jadeja’s sharp spin, and completed a most unhappy match when a ball spat devilishly out of a foothole and lobbed from glove to slip as the batsman tried in vain to take evasive action. Clarke walked to the middle with his side in a hole as mental as it was empirical, and at least tried to give the spinners something to ponder by using his feet.Ashwin was drop-kicked for six over wide long-on then pulled to the boundary next ball as he adjusted his length, a rare moment of Australian poise against the spinning ball. However at the other end Jadeja’s geometry twice appeared to pin Clarke in between wicket and wicket. The umpire Marais Erasmus remained inscrutable to the appeals.Warner became the third Australian to squander a start when he propped forward to Harbhajan and was given lbw after a tangle of pad and bat. Warner stood aghast when Kumar Dharmasena’s finger was raised, but replays again showed a ball pitching in line and straightening to strike the pad an instant before the bat. In the absence of the DRS, an advantage seemingly lies with the team able to forge ahead then place pressure on the umpires – no-one did this better than the Australians in their pomp.Wade accompanied Clarke briefly, but was another to appear unnerved by the breadth of spin and changeability of bounce available, and was bowled attempting a presumptuous sweep at Harbhajan. Clarke and Henriques reached the interval with only the merest hope of doing anything but reduce the margin of defeat.That hope shrunk moments after resumption, when Clarke was struck on the back pad just in front of off stump by a ball that barely bounced. Clarke’s rueful expression was matched among Australia’s coaching staff at the boundary’s edge, as the rest of the innings followed the familiar pattern.Obituaries were being written by the time Lyon reached the wicket, but he and Henriques in their quiet way managed to exploit tired bowlers much as Dhoni and Bhuvneshwar had done the previous evening. Unless a miracle is to be performed on day five, this will only cause Australia’s batsmen to wonder at how they might have done better.

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.

Raza Hasan and Asad Shafiq have suffered injuries ahead of Pakistan naming their squad for the tour of India

Umar Farooq08-Dec-2012Raza Hasan, the Pakistan left-arm spinner, injured his disc in his spine and has been ruled out of the limited-overs tour of India. He suffered the injury while bowling against Quetta Bears in a Faysal Bank Twenty20 Cup game at Lahore City Cricket Association Ground on Sunday.Hasan, 20, made his international debut in September this year against Australia. He’s played seven T20 internationals, picking up six wickets at 25.66. According to the preliminary report, he damaged his spine and has been advised rest for six to eight weeks.Pakistan are due to tour India later this month to play three ODIs and two T20Is. The selectors will be monitoring the ongoing Twenty20 tournament in Pakistan; with Hasan out, left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar, who is 34 and eager for a chance to play for Pakistan, could have an opening.Asad Shafiq, the Pakistan middle-order batsman, has sustained a finger injury and is doubtful for the India series. He injured himself while playing for Karachi Dolphins against Bahawalpur Stags at the Bagh-e-Jinnah in Lahore.Iqbal Qasim’s selection committee is set to announce the ODI and T20 squads for the India series this weekend. Should Shafiq be ruled out, selectors could consider a likely replacement in Harris Sohail, 23, a left-hand batsman who plays for ZTBL. He recently finished as second-highest run-getter in the President’s Trophy, the first-class tournament, scoring 673 in five matches at 134.60. He has an average of 72.83 in T20 cricket with a strike-rate of 105.55.The selectors could also be leaning towards experience for the India tour. Umar Gul and Younis Khan, who were dropped from the ODI squad, are likely to return. It won’t be surprising if Shahid Afridi is left out, on account of his form. Imran Nazir hasn’t been very productive, either, scoring 176 runs in his previous nine T20I innings.The bowling line-up may undergo change, as the focus may shift from spin to strengthening the pace department. Pakistan have been relying largely on Saeed Ajmal, but Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s captains for ODIs and T20s respectively, have hinted at a change of tactics while playing in India.Allrounder Abdul Razzaq, who had criticised his captain Mohammad Hafeez for not taking him in the XI during the World Twenty20, is still in contention. He smashed 14 off 3 balls on Friday night for Lahore Lions, pulling off an unlikely victory for this team. He was deemed not fully fit but made a strong statement with that cameo.

The future of Sajid Mahmood, the former England fast bowler, has been resolved with Essex signing him on a two-year deal.

Alex Winter20-Nov-2012The future of Sajid Mahmood, the former England fast bowler, has been resolved with Essex signing him on a two-year deal.Mahmood was released by Lancashire, for whom he took 260 first-class wickets, at the end of the 2012 season after sending him out on loan to Somerset at the end of the year where he made three appearances.It is perhaps indicative of Mahmood’s fall from grace that he has extended his career by signing for a team that finished fifth in Division Two of the County Championship last season. In 2011, he was part of the Lancashire side that won the title, taking 35 wickets in the campaign, but missed the end of the season and made just three appearances at the start of 2012.Mahmood’s drift into the cricketing wilderness was quite a contrast from the fearsome fast bowler who was signed from the Bolton league in 2002. A year later he was on an England A tour and demonstrating his pace by breaking Alex Gidman’s hand and injuring Andrew Flintoff with a beamer.An ODI debut quickly followed in 2004 and two years later he played the first of his eight Tests against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, Mahmood a beneficiary of Duncan Fletcher’s policy of finding raw pace. But the concluding act of England’s 5-0 whitewash in Sydney was the final Test he played and, after the World Cup that followed in the West Indies, his ODI career was almost over too.Mahmood’s domestic returns remained modest, averaging just over 30 in first-class cricket from 2007 to 2010 and his economy rate in one-day cricket rose – last season he went at over eight-an-over. And it was a high economy rate that ended his Lancashire career – his last appearance saw him concede 42 from 2.3 overs, including 17 off his last three legitimate deliveries, in Lancashire’s opening Friends Life t20 defeat to Derbyshire.While other promising fast bowlers have moved to Division One counties – Liam Plunkett and Jack Brooks both moved to Yorkshire, Ajmal Shahzad signed for Nottinghamshire – Mahmood has been forced to find a less fashionable county to continue his career, where he will look to prove the credentials that earned him an international career.Proving a point is a factor that attracted Mahmood to Essex head coach Paul Grayson. “I’m really pleased Saj has joined the club,” Grayson said. “I like cricketers who feel that they have something to prove to people and he has lots of ability, he’s experienced and he’s a fit guy who can bowl with good pace as well so we feel Saj will be a real addition to the squad.”Mahmood added: “I am delighted to be joining Essex. Playing at Lancashire was a great experience for me and I thank them for all they did for my cricket. I see this move as a new beginning and can’t wait to get started. Paul Grayson has been brilliant throughout the recruitment process and I appreciate the faith he’s shown in me.”

As part of the celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence, an Old England side will take on an Old Jamaica XI at The Oval

David Lloyd19-Apr-2012
ScorecardOnly groundsmen had anything to do at The Oval•PA PhotosWet days at cricket and trips down Memory Lane go hand in hand. While rain prevented so much as a ball being bowled today, Surrey gave those few hardy souls who were present every opportunity to reminisce by announcing details of a special match to be played here on Sunday July 8.As part of the celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence, an Old England side will take on an Old Jamaica XI at a ground which, over the years, became like a second home to visiting West Indies teams.The line-ups are to be finalised but it is hoped that Ron Headley, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding will be among those turning out for Jamaica. But whether or not, at 58, he plays on July 8 – or pursues his second, gentler career of commentating – Holding has already had a big input by recommending The Oval as the ideal venue for a Jamaican party.It is no wonder, really. Back in the 1970s, especially, this part of south London rocked to a Caribbean beat when West Indies took on England with the ground heavily populated by dancing, singing and music-making supporters of the visitors. They seldom had anything less than a victory to cheer – and one of their favourite sons, Holding, chose this venue to produce a performance awesome by even his sky-high standards.In 1976, the Jamaican with the silent run-up and thoroughbred action returned match figures of 14 for 149 as West Indies won by 231 runs, even though England managed 435 in their first innings. As an exhibition of fast bowling it was just about impossible to beat and those who saw it live still purr with delight whenever Holding and The Oval are mentioned in the same breath.Mind, another fast bowler born in Jamaica produced an even more starting performance, in terms of destruction, at The Oval. And Devon Malcolm, who is scheduled to represent Old England in July, did it for the hosts.Whether or not Malcolm actually said “you guys are history” after he was hit between the eyes by a bouncer while batting against South Africa in 1994 is neither here nor there. What we know for certain is that Big Dev responded to the indignity of being felled by producing perhaps the most hostile spell of his career to take nine for 57.Great memories. And no doubt there will be plenty more doing the rounds come July at what should be a joyful occasion.As for the present, there was little to cheer at The Oval today. It did stay dry long enough, though, for Worcestershire to win what could be a vital toss. They have neither Holding nor Malcolm to call on but will still fancy their chances of doing damage with the ball.

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.

The BCCI top brass have denied reports of an alleged rift in the Indian team, saying that the media have taken an “exaggerated” stand in the wake of stand-in captain Virender Sehwag’s contentious comments following India’s defeat to Sri Lanka on Tuesday

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Feb-2012The BCCI top brass have denied reports of an alleged rift in the Indian team, saying that the media have taken an “exaggerated” stand in the wake of stand-in captain Virender Sehwag’s contentious comments following India’s defeat to Sri Lanka on Tuesday. Sehwag had said that he was unaware that one of reasons MS Dhoni wanted to rotate the three openers (Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir) was because he feared they would leak at least 20 runs in the field.”I don’t think there is any rift within the team,” Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI vice-president who was meeting with other board officials in Mumbai at the IPL governing council meet, said. “It is only speculation by a section of the media. The team is united. So I don’t think there is a problem.”Shukla said the board was constantly in touch with the team management. “From what we have understood, Sehwag has been misquoted.”Sehwag had lead India against Sri Lanka in the absence of Dhoni, who was serving a one-match ban for not meeting the required over-rate in the previous game against Australia. In the post-match media conference, speaking on the rotation policy, Sehwag said that Dhoni had had chats with him, Tendulkar and Gambhir individually, telling them that the young players in the squad should get enough exposure in Australian conditions, keeping in mind that the next World Cup will be played in Australia and New Zealand. Sehwag said he was fine with that reasoning, but was unaware that Dhoni had said, after the February 19 match against Australia, that he could not fit all three openers into the XI because of their slowness in the field. That statement sparked speculation in the media, raising the question as to whether there was a divide in the team.The BCCI president, N Srinivasan, said there was nothing to be “concerned” about. “We have to see what exactly they [Sehwag and Dhoni] have said. They were responding to some question in a press conference. I have spoken to the media manager there [in Australia]. I think the reports here are exaggerated.”Asked if the pair of Duncan Fletcher and Dhoni had informed the board of their plans to try out the younger players and adopt the rotation policy, Shukla said that matter was entirely the decision of the tour selection committee, comprising the captain, coach and team manager. “It is for the coach and captain to decide on the team composition,” Shukla said.Edited by Nikita Bastian