But for the mercy of the Gabba’s extra bounce, Andrew Strauss could well be batting in binary in this series – 0, 0, 1

Andrew Miller and Peter English at Adelaide04-Dec-2010Captain Calamity

But for the mercy of the Gabba’s extra bounce, Andrew Strauss could well be batting in binary in this series – 0, 0, 1. After his third-ball slap to gully on the opening day in Brisbane, Strauss padded up to Ben Hilfenhaus’s first delivery of the second innings, and escaped a raucous appeal with the ball skidding over the bails. Today at Adelaide, however, he showed he hasn’t yet learned the lessons of that reprieve, as he hoisted his bat high in the air once again, and listened in horror as Doug Bollinger tickled his off bail.Brothers in arms

Ryan Harris and Bollinger are the fresh faces for Australia and they confirmed their bowling bromance after Bollinger’s first-over strike of Strauss. Harris went in for a congratulatory cuddle but as Bollinger turned his head the exchange almost turned into a sweaty kiss. It ended in cheek-to-cheek contact, which they felt was a bit too intimate for such blokey, burly men.Costly drops

In Adelaide, it’s important to make the most of half chances but Australia failed to take a series of offerings and were made to pay. The spills began when Xavier Doherty had a chance to do a Trott on Trott, but his throw from square leg went a metre wide of the stumps, giving the batsman a reprieve on 6. Four runs later, Trott was dropped at gully by Michael Hussey, who crouched forward and felt the ball go through his hands. Trott benefited again on 76 when Brad Haddin got both gloves to an edge behind but couldn’t close them in time. The last miss wasn’t costly, with Michael Clarke taking Australia’s first catch of the game when Trott was 78.On and on and on …

Alastair Cook and Trott looked as though they could have batted for another week as they walked off the pitch at Brisbane. And once Trott had digested his early good fortune, they resumed where they had left off with a pitiless assault in some of the most brutal heat of the year. Trott in particular was ravenous through the leg-side, so it was quite a shock when he finally mistimed a clip off Harris and picked out Clarke at midwicket. The breakthrough meant that for the first time in five sessions Trott had to walk back to the pavilion alone, although he had by that stage helped to add 502 consecutive runs for England’s second wicket.Referral woe

“Oh bad luck you Aussies!” was Geoffrey Boycott’s immortal cry at Old Trafford in 2005, when Michael Vaughan was bowled by a no-ball, only moments after surviving a dropped catch off Glenn McGrath. Whether or not one agrees with the referral system (and plenty of people do not) the effect of watching a hard-earned wicket being snatched away by technology is arguably more deflating than any error on the part of the fielding team. Such was the case when Peter Siddle thought he’d induced a glove down the leg-side off Cook on 64. Even as the finger went up, however, Siddle was mentally preparing himself for it to be taken back down again. Replays rightly showed that Cook’s elbow had caused the deflection.Death by cuts

Doherty’s spin was meant to be more important than his fielding but he struggled with that too, particularly in an over before tea. Cook was in charge as Doherty dropped short outside off with three balls in a row and was cut to the boundary each time. Finger spinners hate being hit to point but Doherty could do nothing to stop the punishment.Hello Kevin, where’ve you been?

Kevin Pietersen has not had much to get his teeth into in Ashes cricket of late. His 2009 campaign was curtailed after two Tests by injury, and his only chance to bat at Brisbane came on that frenetic first day. Since then he’s been itching to get involved, but thwarted at every turn – firstly by the crease occupation by the trio above him in the order, and then by the Adelaide groundstaff whom he grumpily denounced as “pathetic” for failing to cover the nets during a downpour. This afternoon, however, he put all such issues to one side, and cashed in on a flat deck for his most effortless innings in months.

A primer to the 2011 IPL auction to be held in Bengaluru on January 8 and 9

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Jan-2011The IPL auction, though scheduled to be held over two days, will see the biggest names – the 27 “marquee” players – going under the hammer first, a process that could end within an hour. These players, picked according to a combination of their valuation and star power, will be put up for auction.The players are: Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Tillkaratne Dilshan, Gautam Gambhir, Mahela Jayawardene, Zaheer Khan, Yusuf Pathan, Kevin Pietersen, Yuvraj Singh, Ross Taylor, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Adam Gilchrist, Kumar Sangakkara, Rohit Sharma, Graeme Smith, Andrew Symonds, Cameron White, Johan Botha, Chris Gayle, VVS Laxman, Brendon McCullum, Irfan Pathan, RP Singh, Sreesanth, Robin Uthappa and Daniel Vettori.That makes great television viewing but the random order in which the players will be presented for auction will leave the franchises scrambling for a workable plan. In the absence of a known sequence of players, franchises will have to work out an alternative approach to make the best buy. Say, for example, Franchise A wants players X, Y and Z, but those players come in last in the auction list; by the time they come up for auction the franchise runs the risk of losing out on other good players who may be going cheap. “Most of the strategies that teams have worked out might not work and they will need to take a quick decision on a buy,” one franchise official explained.

The 2011 IPL auction

WHEN
The auction will take place on January 8 and 9 in Bengaluru, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. It’s a proper two-day game, with 90-minute lunch breaks from 1 p.m. and half-hour tea breaks at 4 p.m. And the occasional “strategy break”, aka the time out.

WHY
The player auction is the only opportunity for the franchises to sign up overseas and capped Indian players for the 2011 and 2012 seasons, barring those who have already been retained. Uncapped Indian players will be signed up through a different process.

HOW MUCH
Each franchise has an auction purse of $9 million, less what they have already spent on retaining players.

HOW MANY
Each franchise can have on its books a maximum of 30 players including no more than ten overseas players.

The players on the auction list – around 350 at last count, grouped into several price bands from $20,000-400,000 – range from the biggest current stars, the best young talent and a few big names from the past, and represent 11 countries. However, no more than about 130 players are expected to be bought, with each team picking around 13 and then beefing up the squad by signing uncapped Indian players who can be bought relatively cheap.Each player will be individually presented at the open auction – handled by veteran auctioneer Richard Madley, the Englishman who normally deals in antiques and occasionally keeps wicket – where the highest bidder will be the buyer at that price. Bidding will start at the player’s reserve price and, unlike last year, there is no limit to what can be bid for a single player. Franchises will not be able to make a bid for a player that would take them beyond their balance remaining on the salary cap. The players will be arranged into “sets”; initial sets will comprise the marquee players, and then players with the same core skills (batsmen, bowlers, all-rounders, wicket-keepers).The order of these subsequent sets, and the order that players will be presented for auction within each set, will be determined by random draw. The bidding increments will be $5,000 for bids up to $100,000; $10,000 for bids from $10 0,000 to $300,000; and at the auctioneer’s discretion for larger bids. Players for whom no bids are received when they are initially presented for auction may be re-presented for auction once all of the initial sets have been concluded. The auction is over when each franchise has either (a) no balance left on its salary cap or (b) no further available slots for overseas players or (c) filled its maximum squad of 30 players or (d) indicates that it will not be bidding for any further players.

Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, has once again called for the ICC to establish uniformity in the use of the UDRS

Firdose Moonda at Kingsmead29-Dec-2010Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, has once again called for the ICC to establish uniformity in the use of the UDRS. “The ICC needs to take responsibility for that,” he said after South Africa’s loss in the second Test against India in Durban. “They can’t leave it up to boards to negotiate. They must lead the way.”The decision not to use the UDRS was taken by Cricket South Africa (CSA), in consultation with the BCCI in November. CSA were keen to use the system, but the BCCI refused. At the time of negotiation, Smith said he believed UDRS could only be effective if it was used in all Test matches and not a selection of them.He reiterated his stance on Wednesday. “Using it once every seven series is not going to benefit anybody. If the technology is available and they want us to use it, then we must use it. Then you can have a proper idea of whether it works or not.” Smith’s statements were fuelled by three decisions that did not go South Africa’s way in the match.Zaheer Khan got away with an lbw shout off Dale Steyn’s bowling on day three when he was on 10 and his eight-wicket stand with VVS Laxman was worth 33. He went on to make 27 and share in an 70-run partnership with Laxman. Umpire Steve Davis was responsible for that decision. Two of South Africa’s batsmen were unlucky to be given out on the fourth day. AB de Villiers was adjudged lbw by Asad Rauf off the bowling of Harbhajan Singh. Replays showed the ball was going over the top of middle stump. Mark Boucher got an even worse decision when Davis gave him out lbw to Zaheer, to a delivery that was too high and missing off stump. There was also an incident where India might have benefitted from a referral. Harbhajan Singh had an lbw appeal against Ashwell Prince turned down when there was a suspicion of an inside-edge, but replays showed the ball had hit pad first.As per the ICC’s regulations, the host country must decide on the use of the UDRS in consultation with the visiting nation. It was in South Africa’s power as the host nation to insist on the use of the UDRS, but they did not do so. CSA and the BCCI have a history of friendly relations, which dates back to South Africa’s readmission into international cricket in 1991, and presumably, South Africa did not want to put that relationship at risk.Prior to this series, South Africa had used the UDRS in three of their last four Test series, with the exception being their tour of India. India have only used the UDRS once, in a series against Sri Lanka in 2008.

South Zone had the better of the first day of the Duleep Trophy final despite Paras Dogra’s aggressive century

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsParas Dogra (right) was the only North Zone batsman to go past 40•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Paras Dogra made a swashbuckling unbeaten hundred to resuscitate North Zone after a horrid start, but two late wickets ensured that South Zone held the upper hand on the first day of the Duleep Trophy final at the YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. On a pitch with some moisture that helped the seamers, South Zone chose to introduce Pragyan Ohja as early as the ninth over, and the strategy paid off immediately with Nitin Saini edging a looping delivery to CM Gautam behind the stumps.Shikar Dhawan followed Saini one over later, slapping an Abhimanyu Mithun short ball that stopped on him straight to midwicket. Ojha limped off the field a little while later, having stopped a Mithun Manhas straight drive with his right ankle, but the seamers continued to make inroads. Manhas was bowled by one that nipped back from Vinay Kumar and when Mandeep Singh hit a fuller delivery down point’s throat, North Zone were deep in the mire at 42 for 4.Dogra had made a patient 8 from 29 balls at this stage, and set about repairing the innings in the company of Yashpal Singh. He was fairly circumspect to begin with, making sure to defend the good balls, but at the same time not missing out on the opportunities for boundaries when the bowlers erred in line or length. He began to open his shoulders with the introduction of S Badrinath, whom he dispatched for two sixes and two fours. The pair had added 99, taking the score to 141, when Yashpal fell to S Aravind for 32.The loss of his partner did nothing to slow Dogra down, however. Having taken 103 balls to reach his fifty, he only needed a further 40 balls to get to his hundred, which he did in style, smashing Ohja over cow corner for six. Such was his confidence at this stage that one ball later he skipped down the track and went inside out over extra-cover for another six. He found an able ally in Uday Kaul, and the pair added 89 runs for the sixth wicket, scoring at 4.13 runs an over and giving the innings a sheen of respectability.South Zone struck twice in the last 11 overs to wrest the initiative back. Kaul fell trying to hit Abhinav Mukund through the leg side, but only succeeded in getting a leading edge to cover. Then Vinay Kumar bowled Amit Mishra one ball after he was dropped at slip by Robin Uthappa to leave South Zone the happier side heading into the second day, despite the continued presence of Dogra.

A round-up of the action from the semi-finals of the 2010-11 Vijay Hazare Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2011Jharkhand surged into the final with a comfortable five-wicket win over Vidarbha in Indore. When the Vidarbha openers had eased to 42 in 11 overs, it seemed they had justified their side’s decision to bat. But things started to go wrong for Vidarbha when Amol Ubarhande was dismissed by Varun Aaron. Himanshu Joshi followed soon, and opener Akshay Kolhar became the third man to be dismissed after making a steady 40. No one from the Vidarbha middle order stepped up to salvage the stuttering innings. Ravi Jangid tried with a patient 35 but he became one of Yaju Krishanatry’s three victims. Vidarbha ultimately lurched to 186 for 9, 25 extras contributing to their inadequate score.Jharkhand’s openers could not do much, but Ishank Jaggi and Saurabh Tiwary did their growing reputations no harm in a calculated 121-run partnership that almost sealed the game. Jaggi was the aggressor, smashing 13 boundaries in his 85 off 94 deliveries. Tiwary had dropped anchor for the afternoon, and remained unbeaten on 72 off 124. Jharkhand lost a few late wickets but made the final by the 46th over.Gujarat made short work of Haryana at the Emerald High School Ground in Indore to set up a final meeting with Jharkhand. Ishwar Choudhary led a disciplined bowling performance to skittle Haryana for 157, and Manprit Juneja and Parthiv Patel knocked off the runs with plenty to spare. Apart from opener Rahul Dewan (41), no Haryana batsman came up with anything substantial. After Amit Singh had taken two in two in the sixth over, Choudhary accounted for Hemang Badani, Joginder Sharma and Nitin Saini. The other bowlers chipped in as well, and Haryana were bundled out cheaply.Parthiv ensured Gujarat did not take the small chase easy with a quick 42. There were no early breakthroughs for Haryana, and Juneja did what Tiwary had done for Jharkhand with an unbeaten 54 off 93. Haryana used eight bowlers, but they managed three wickets between them.

Sri Lanka have reached their second successive World Cup final, and though they were blown away in the last one, their vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene said they had done really well since that setback

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-2011Sri Lanka have reached their second successive World Cup final, and though they were blown away by Adam Gilchrist’s whirlwind century in the previous one, in 2007, their vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene said they had done really well since that setback. “Gilly did play that brilliant knock and we never had the opportunity to get into the game. It was an unfortunate episode. We have put it behind us and moved on.”We are really motivated to be consistent and, to be right here in the final, speaks volumes about our character.”Going in to the final, Jayawardene said Sri Lanka were confident, especially after they overcame a late batting stutter to win against New Zealand in the semi-final. “The guys are really excited. We batted brilliantly and were positive in our approach (in the semi-final), but we had wobbled in a couple of overs where they put some pressure on us,” Jayawardene said. “The guys came out very well, but you need those kinds of games under your belt going into the best part of the tournament.”Sri Lanka lost only to Pakistan in the group stage, and then beat England and New Zealand in the knockout rounds en route to the final. Jayawardene said they were quite satisfied with how they had progressed so far. “We have handled situations very well. The bowlers, batsmen and everyone has risen to the occasion.Mahela Jayawardene says Sri Lanka are satisfied by their progress so far in the World Cup•AFP

“We had a very good chat about how we are going to approach the final. For a lot of players it was a dream to play for Sri Lanka and now they are on the verge of winning the World Cup.”Muttiah Muralitharan might be retiring from international cricket after the World Cup final, but Jayawardene said that Sri Lanka want to win the tournament not for any individual, but for the country. “We started the World Cup thinking we would win it for Sri Lanka,” Jayawardene said. “I don’t think we want to change that.”Elements in the Indian media have been exhorting the Indian team to win the trophy for Sachin Tendulkar in what could be his last World Cup, but Jayawardene said that Muralitharan – who is battling to get himself fit for the final – himself wanted to win it for Sri Lanka.

Daniel Vettori, the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain, has flown back to New Zealand to see a doctor about his ongoing knee problem

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2011Daniel Vettori, the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain, has flown back to New Zealand to see a doctor about his ongoing knee problem. As a result, he will not be playing in Saturday’s game against Kolkata Knight Riders and could be in danger of missing future games as well. Vettori also sat out Bangalore’s last game against Rajasthan Royals on May 11. Virat Kohli, who led the side in that game, will take over as captain in Vettori’s absence.”He’s [Vettori] gone back home to see his surgeon, someone he generally consults,” Kohli told reporters on Thursday. “He will try to get back and be fit for the upcoming games. We will just have to wait and watch what happens with that.”Vettori first hurt his right knee during New Zealand’s World Cup league game against Pakistan back in March. He missed the rest of his side’s league games, before returning to play in the quarter- and semi-final matches. According to the , Vettori had said during the IPL that he was just about able to get through his four overs and hobble around in the field.”Obviously, it’s a loss for us and it’s unfortunate,” Kohli said. “It’s been happening to us for the last two years as well. We have lost important players at important times due to injuries, it’s never a good thing for the team. But we have got reserves in the side who are willing to do well and who are willing to go out there, who are really talented and thinking cricketers. We just need to set a strong combination now and go with that combination throughout the tournament and we will see if Dan comes back, nothing like it [if he does].”If he doesn’t, then we need to form a different combination and be confident going into the game with that combination.”

The PCB has settled its dispute with Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland over his comments about the Justice Qayyum commission on match-fixing

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2011The PCB has settled its dispute with Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland over his comments about the Justice Qayyum commission on match-fixing. In April, Sutherland had suggested that last year’s spot-fixing scandal – after which three Pakistan players were banned for five years – might not have occurred if the PCB had acted properly on the recommendations of the Qayyum commission in 2000.An irked Pakistan board had asked the ICC to “investigate” Sutherland’s comments but the row has now been resolved without the ICC’s intervention. “PCB chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad talked to Sutherland on the matter,” PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar said. “James clarified that his comments on the Qayyum inquiry were not meant to put PCB in a difficult position. Sutherland explained that it was in response to a question during an interview and not intended to criticise anyone. PCB enjoys cordial relations with CA so we have decided not to pursue the matter any further.”The Qayyum report had several recommendations for tackling match-fixing. The main ones involved banning for life players such as Salim Malik and Ata-ur-Rehman, and fining a host of others, including Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Ahmed and Saeed Anwar. Some of these players, such as Akram, were to be prevented from holding any positions of responsibility in or around the team.Last year, soon after the spot-fixing controversy broke out, Qayyum himself had said the PCB had not been “strong enough” in implementing some recommendations in his report.

Nottinghamshire Outlaws blasted their highest ever score in the Friends Life t20 as they thrashed Yorkshire Carnegie by 53 runs

05-Jun-2011
ScorecardSamit Patel hit four sixes then took four sixes•PA Photos

Nottinghamshire Outlaws blasted their highest ever score in the Friends Life t20 as they thrashed Yorkshire Carnegie by 53 runs thanks to rapid half-centuries from Adam Voges and Samit Patel.Despite losing two wickets in their first four overs, Nottinghamshire still racked up 215 for 6 with Voges hitting 74 from 46 balls, including 10 fours and a six. Voges innings looked pedestrian in comparison to Patel, who smashed 52 from only 23 balls, including three sixes in four deliveries from Joe Root, as the pair shared 94 for the fourth wicket in just eight overs before both were dismissed by Anthony McGrath.In reply, Yorkshire’s hopes of chasing down their target evaporated in the 13th over, with Andy Carter removing Adam Lyth (43) and McGrath in successive balls.Nottinghamshire chose to bat first but lost opener Riki Wessels third ball to Adil Rashid’s leg-spin, while former Notts star Ryan Sidebottom had Alex Hales caught at point in the fourth over.But Voges combined with fellow Australian David Hussey to up the run-rate, with Rashid’s second over going for 18 before Hussey was caught at long-on off David Wainwright for 28. Voges and Patel found the boundary at will, with Root’s one over of occasional off-spin despatched for 22, Patel hitting three sixes over cover.The partnership was ended by McGrath, who had both batsmen caught off a leading edge, but Chris Read thumped three more sixes in the last three overs to finish unbeaten on 34.Yorkshire began well with 33 coming off the first four overs before Ben Phillips yorked Andrew Gale, but found the going tougher once Nottinghamshire took the pace off the ball through Patel’s left-arm spin and the medium-pace of Steven Mullaney.Patel conceded just seven off his first two overs and had Jonny Bairstow caught at long-off for 31 and once Carter removed Lyth and McGrath, Yorkshire sunk rapidly. Four more wickets fell in the closing stages, with Scott Elstone’s stunning boundary catch to dismiss Gerard Brophy off Patel a particular highlight.Patel finished with 2 for 27 to collect the man-of-the-match award as Nottinghamshire made it two wins from two matches in the North Group.

The South Africa A squad that has gone to Zimbabwe has 14 players who have played for South Africa and they will all be competing for a recall to the senior side

Firdose Moonda 27-Jun-2011South Africa’s cricketers are experiencing their first, full-length winter break in 14 years. The team last played on March 25, when they were dumped out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage and they will not take the field again until October 13, giving them a break of almost seven months.Some, like JP Duminy and Graeme Smith, are using the time to tie the knot while others, like Dale Steyn, have gone on an extended holiday. But the likes of Roelof van der Merwe and Loots Bosman aren’t curling up around fires or exploring parts of the world that cricket doesn’t take them to. They’re part of the South Africa A side that have headed to Zimbabwe, where they will play in a tri-series also featuring Australia A.The trip to Zimbabwe is short, with South Africa A playing just four one-day games, but significant. Ten of the 14 players in the A side have been part of the senior national team before and, with no other competitive cricket before the season starts, have to take this opportunity to stake their claim for a national recall.Vincent Barnes, the South Africa A coach, enunciated the significance of the tour. “We’ve sent an important message to these players, that this is not just an ordinary tour or just any other set of pre-season games,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “We need to find out who’s next, in terms of everything from wicketkeeping to spin.”With Heino Kuhn and van der Merwe the only specialist wicketkeeper and spinner in the A squad respectively, it is clear that they have been identified as players for the future. The trip to Zimbabwe will present the pair with the chance to break further away from the chasing pack, with the focus on van der Merwe, now that South African attitudes are more embracing to spin. The left-arm spinner is known for his aggression with both bat and ball and is experienced enough to merit another stint at the highest level. “Roelof fell by the way side with the national team a few years ago, but he has worked really hard in our camp over the last few days and showed his commitment,” Barnes said.In the batting department, Jacques Rudolph, who will captain the A side and is being tipped for a recall to the South Africa team, will be closely watched. Rudolph returned from Yorkshire last season to play domestic cricket in South Africa. He topped the run-scoring charts in the 2010-11 SuperSport Series and was the fourth-highest run-scorer in the MTN40 tournament. His captaincy of Titans, and of South Africa A during the home series against Bangladesh A, has been innovative and his maturity evident. “My goal is always to score as many runs as possible,” he said. “It’s a good time to show the strength and depth of our cricket.”The fast bowlers could prove the most interesting area, with none of the five quicks in the A squad having finished the MTN40 season in the top ten on the bowling charts. Vernon Philander and Rusty Theron are considered the two closest to a comeback for South Africa. Philander has been outstanding at first-class level, but less so in the limited-overs formats. “It will be good to play against more international players and see how I go against the big boys,” Philander said.Philander last played for South Africa in August 2008 and said that being dropped allowed him to develop as a player. “I know a lot more about my game now than I did before and I know what’s expected at international level.”Theron has had a frustrating time; he has been picked for various South Africa squads and given a national contract but has only played five Twenty20 internationals and four ODIs. He said he will use this tour to show that he is a “complete bowler.” Theron is known to be a death-over specialist but feels he can offer more. “I can also bowl an efficient first spell and come back in the middle as well. If there is a good training ground to show those skills, this is it.”Allan Donald, who took over as national bowling coach when Gary Kirsten was appointed on June 6, is accompanying Barnes on the tour in order to get a first-hand look at the fast bowlers. Donald replaced Barnes and, on the face of it, the situation they find themselves in appears, at best, awkward. But Barnes denied any tension and said the pair enjoyed “sharing ideas.”The tour is Barnes’ first in his new position at the High Performance Centre, after he spent eight years with the national team. While it is mostly about the players proving their worth, Barnes said he will also use it as a step to re-establishing himself as a coach in his own right. “It’s very good to be able to consider myself a head coach now,” he said. “I am actually running the nets and not just working with the bowlers now.”