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Yorkshire remain well placed to earn an County Championship double overfellow strugglers Worcestershire although the hosts made heavy weather of theirtask on the third day at Scarborough

13-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Yorkshire remain well placed to earn an County Championship double overfellow strugglers Worcestershire although the hosts made heavy weather of theirtask on the third day at Scarborough.Chasing 134 for victory after stubborn resistance from the visitors tookWorcestershire to a second-innings 332, Yorkshire closed on 80 for 3, 53runs behind.Worcestershire were in big trouble on 82 for 4 at the start of the day,still trailing by 117 after the hosts posted 367 to establish a 199-runfirst-innings advantage. But the visitors refused to throw in the towel, with skipper Daryl Mitchell and James Cameron taking few risks against the pace of Ryan Sidebottom and TimBresnan.The fifth-wicket pair had just batted through the first hour when Cameron droveat a full-length ball from Ajmal Shahzad and Adil Rashid held on at third slip. Mitchell got stuck on 46 for an hour before cover-driving Richard Pyrah to reach his half-century with his ninth boundary.Gareth Andrew was then put down when on 15 by Rashid, who split his right indexfinger in dropping the fairly straightforward chance and spent spells off thefield either side of lunch.Worcestershire lost another wicket before lunch when Pyrah bowled Mitchellthrough the gate for 55 from 141 balls with 10 fours. After the break, Scott was clean bowled by a splendid yorker from Shahzad to end his resistance on nine.Saeed Ajmal shrugged off a blow to the side of his face from Bresnan to hitShahzad for a legside boundary to finally wipe out the arrears, but Andrew thenspoiled a neatly compiled half-century by slashing wildly at a loose ball fromPyrah to be caught behind for 57.Yorkshire were not making things easy for themselves, however, and Saeed Ajmalshould have departed for 19 only for Gary Ballance to grass the chance at secondslip, his third drop of the match.That escape allowed Ajmal and Jack Shantry to take their stand to 54 in 11overs before Ajmal fell to a great delivery from Pyrah for 47, the ball seamingoff the edge of the bat to Jonny Bairstow.Worcestershire, at 270 for 9, still had plenty of fight left in them and thelast-wicket pair of Shantry and Richardson went on the rampage, aided by furtherbad fielding lapses.The hapless Ballance fluffed another chance in the slips when he droppedShantry on 21 off Bresnan, and the batsman celebrated the return of Shahzad bysmashing his first ball back over the bowler’s head for four and also takingboundaries off the next two deliveries.Shantry sailed past his previous best knock of 13 not out and runs flowed asYorkshire and their fans became increasingly frustrated. The score had rattled on to 332, with the last-wicket stand worth 62, when Sidebottom bowled Richardson for 31 just before tea. Shantry’s unbeaten 47 came off 73 balls with eight fours.Yorkshire began their run chase after the interval and soon suffered a setbackas Adam Lyth was run out by a direct hit at the bowler’s end from AlanRichardson after Joe Root had called for a second run.Root then edged Ajmal to slip where he was dropped by Mitchell with the scoreon 19, and Yorkshire were put under further pressure on 29 when Anthony McGrathfell lbw to Richardson, whose 11-over opening spell conceded only 15 runs.A well-flighted ball by Ajmal lured Andrew Gale forward for him to be stumpedby Scott but Root stayed calm under pressure and will begin the final day on 31,with Bairstow unbeaten on 12.

It has become a question of whether Craig Kieswetter will regain his place in England’s one-day side before Jos Buttler assumes it ahead of him.

Jeremy James at Taunton04-May-2011
ScorecardCraig Kieswetter is showing the sort of form that could earn him an England recall•Getty ImagesIt has become a question of whether Craig Kieswetter will regain his place in England’s one-day side before Jos Buttler assumes it ahead of him. There were no selectors on the County Ground on Wednesday, but one or two other excellent judges, notably Jack Birkenshaw and Vic Marks, were properly impressed by his first Championship century since September 2009 and the seventh of his career.Nor was this was made on the customary flat pitch here. Kieswetter came in when Somerset were 53 for 3, having lost two wickets on that total, and Worcestershire’s medium pacers were bowling with greater accuracy and obtaining more swing than their figures would suggest. Damien Wright deserved better than to dismiss just Nick Compton and a tail-ender; Alan Richardson constantly probed outside off stump and Gareth Andrew, who took four wickets, had the motivation of competing against his old county.”The ball swung and seamed a bit but technically I felt strong,” said Kieswetter. “To be able to come in and bat at number five is nice and Graham Thorpe assisted me a lot during the winter with my batting. People talk about me having had a bad summer last year but they forget that I played for England.”Andrew it was who removed both openers. Marcus Trescothick had deliberated long and hard upon winning the toss. No captain, let alone him, is deceived nowadays by extra grass being left on the pitch at Taunton, for that invariably results in only a modicum of movement off the seam for just the first hour. This time, though, it was overcast. The ball might – and did – swing.Trescothick uncharacteristically took half an hour to get off the mark and thereafter was never at his corruscating best. Arul Suppiah put on 44 with him before edging Andrew to first slip. Then the captain, having run his former colleague to the third man boundary, which inevitably was not policed, played on to the next ball when attempting much the same shot. It is one that brings him countless runs in one day cricket, even when executed, as it was here, close to his body.Next, a dreadful mix-up between Compton, who had not scored, and James Hildreth, who had not faced a ball. Compton called his partner for an improbable single, the ball pushed out to widish mid-off, and, speedy though Hildreth always is between the wickets, he had no chance of beating James Cameron’s throw if it proved to be direct. As it was. Birkenshaw, the ECB’s pitch inspector, correctly called that he would be out when still halfway down the pitch.Compton, then, had much to do. He did not get off the mark until the 24th ball he faced and Kieswetter it was who looked more the part as they resuscitated the innings. Twice he was dropped, at third slip, badly by Moeen Ali off Wright on 44, and then a run later at square leg off Richardson, but two sixes in one over off Andrew and a nerveless progression through the ‘nineties took him to a century off 149 balls with 11 fours besides.Wright, his action reminiscent of Stuart Clark’s, merited the wicket of Compton, who had reached a half century with seven fours when he was also taken at first slip by Vikram Solanki. The pair had added 167 in 48 overs and justified Trescothick’s decision to bat. Kieswetter finally went for 117 and it was then a question of whether the tail could give sufficient support to Peter Trego to reach a total of 300.Given that Gemaal Hussain, Steve Kirby and Charl Willoughby are not the most reliable nine, ten and jack in the land, that was in some doubt. Yet Trego swung Jack Shantry for two successive fours to reach his own half-century, off 57 balls, and three batting points for his side.

England are back in the knock-outs for the first time in four World Cups, and given the excitement they have served up in the past month, their Colombo encounter once again has the makings of a humdinger

The Preview by Andrew Miller25-Mar-2011Match FactsMarch 26, Colombo
Start time 2.30pm (0900 GMT)Graeme Swann’s expertise will be invaluable for England as they seek to stifle a talented Sri Lankan batting order•Getty ImagesThe Big PictureFifteen years ago this month, England and Sri Lanka met at the same quarter-final stage of the 1996 World Cup, only for an epoch-changing contest to pan out in front of an astounded crowd in Faisalabad. With his remarkable 82 from 44 balls, Sanath Jayasuriya not only ignited Sri Lanka’s charge towards their maiden global title, he signalled the end of England as a force in one-day cricket, as they failed to reach the last four of the World Cup for the first time in the tournament’s history.Since that match, the fortunes and expectations associated with the two teams have been flipped on their head. Sri Lanka went on to crush Australia in the 1996 final in Lahore, and have since contested a semi-final in 2003 and another final four years later in Barbados. England, on the other hand, have found a range of ignominious means to bomb out at the earliest opportunity – a trait they came perilously close to emulating this time around as well, following their embarrassments at the hands of Ireland and Bangladesh.But regardless of their numerous scares along the way, England are back in the knockouts for the first time in four World Cups, and given the excitement they have served up in the past month, their Colombo encounter once again has the makings of a humdinger. It is doubtless being greedy to expect their seventh consecutive contest to go down to the wire, but the one and only constant in England’s skittish campaign has been their ability to raise their game against more fancied opposition. And make no mistake, Sri Lanka on home soil present a formidable challenge – arguably the toughest assignment that any of the quarter-finalists could have landed.Four years ago in the Caribbean, the Sri Lankans were by some distance the best of the rest – the only team worthy of facing Ricky Ponting’s invincible Australians in the final. That they failed to bring home the spoils was no disgrace whatsoever, but while Ponting and his colleagues have since been vanquished at long last, Sri Lanka are arguably a stronger outfit than ever before. Eight of the 11 men who played in that final remain in their squad today, but crucially, sentiment has played next to no part in that fact. Two legends in Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas have been put out to pasture, leaving the stage clear for the likes of Ajantha Mendis and Angelo Mathews to bid for their own indelible mark on the tournament’s history.To judge by the narrative of their campaign to date, England will relish their underdog status – for it is a peculiar fact that of the eight quarter-finalists, they are the only side to boast an unbeaten record in matches against their fellow qualifiers. They salvaged a tie against India before out-muscling South Africa and West Indies in a pair of Chennai thrillers, and their never-say-die spirit will doubtless prove invaluable at some stage of a high-octane encounter.But can sheer tenacity prevail against a team so brimful with talented campaigners? Sri Lanka’s top-order triumvirate of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara is second only to India in terms of scorecard menace, while the breadth and variety of their attack is hard to rival – Lasith Malinga’s slingers and Muttiah Muralitharan’s enduring class epitomise the two extremes of a line-up that has men for all seasons and conditions. “It’s going to be a significant challenge for us,” remarked Andrew Strauss, never a man to cares to overstate the case.At least England have had a chance to put down some roots in the course of an itinerant campaign. They’ve had nine days of down-time since their decisive victory in Chennai, and the past week has been spent in the pleasant environs of Colombo, where they will remain in the event of progressing to the semi-final. Nevertheless, the sad news of Michael Yardy’s early departure to the UK once again speaks of a squad that is clinging on at the end of a draining winter, rather than clicking through its gears as the grandest prize draws closer. How many more “last big efforts” have they got in them?Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)

Sri Lanka WWWLW
England WLWLTWatch out for…It was on England’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2007-08 that Graeme Swann first showcased the skills and mindset that have since propelled him to the upper echelons of the international game. It was his first England tour since his ill-fated debut in South Africa seven years earlier, and with seven wickets at 22.28 in his four games, his determination to grasp his second chance was tangible. That refusal to surrender has driven England’s sketchy challenge throughout this World Cup, even in Chittagong when a dew-sodden ball drove him to distraction. He was immense in both Chennai victories, and his touch of class will be invaluable against such potent opposition.After 492 international appearances, 1343 wickets and almost 63,000 deliveries in a 19-year career, Muttiah Muralitharan is now a maximum of three matches and 180 balls from bidding farewell to the global stage. And in the event of an England win on Saturday, it will all end precisely where it began against Australia in August 1992, at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Murali, however, will not care a jot for such elegant symmetry – even as he approaches his 40th year, he remains as fiercely competitive and enthusiastic as ever. And, as his four-wicket haul against New Zealand last week demonstrated, his wiles cannot be trifled with, least of all by an England team whose collective performance against spin has been leaden-footed in the tournament to date.Team newsAfter a difficult tournament, Yardy was never likely to feature in this showdown, though his departure has been an understandable disruption to England’s preparations, with Adil Rashid – his nominated replacement – still finding his way to Sri Lanka from the Caribbean. Tim Bresnan’s troublesome calf has flared up once again, though he came through a fitness test without any visible concerns and has been passed fit for selection. Jade Dernbach, the surprise replacement for Ajmal Shahzad, has been preparing all week as if he is going to play, although James Anderson’s big-match experience ought to earn him a recall following a fortnight out of the firing line. The identity of Strauss’s opening partner has been confirmed within the squad, with Ian Bell believed to be the chosen man.England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Luke Wright, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Tredwell, 11 James Anderson.Fewer dilemmas for Sri Lanka to consider, especially now that Murali has been declared “100% fit” by his captain Kumar Sangakkara after struggling through the New Zealand victory with a hamstring strain. Sangakkara also acknowledged the potential weakness of Sri Lanka’s untested middle order, but backed Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, angelo Mathews and Chamara Kapugedera as “the best players we have to do that job”. One of the Chamaras – Silva and Kapu – seems set to miss out.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Thilan Samaraweera, 7 Chamara Kapugedera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Ajantha Mendis..The pitch is flat, as they generally tend to be at the Premadasa, although the threat of thunderstorms adds an extra factor to the team’s preparations. Afternoon showers on the eve of the game caused the entire outfield to be covered in tarpaulins, which may just sweat a bit more moisture to the surface for the seamers.Stats and trivia England and Sri Lanka have faced each other on eight previous occasions in World Cup history, and though England eased to victory in each of the first five of those encounters from 1979 to 1992, they have lost two of the last three – including a thrilling two-run margin in Antigua four years ago. The overall head-to-head for the two teams could scarcely be tighter. In 44 contests, England have won 23 and Sri Lanka 21. However, Sri Lanka have won eight of their last 12 encounters, dating back to 2006. England did, however, achieve a notable success on their last one-day tour of Sri Lanka in October 2007 – Swann’s aforementioned comeback tour. Despite losing the first game of a five-match series, they bounced back to win each of the next three for a well-deserved 3-2 victory.Quotes”It’s not difficult for us to focus our minds on this game of cricket. It is a massive game. If we lose we’re on the plane home; if we win we’re in the semi-finals.”
Andrew Strauss believes England’s off-field distractions will be of no consequence.“It’s do-or-die for all the teams when you get to the quarter-finals. That incentive is going to be there, and both sides will feel that intensity and that pressure equally.”Kumar Sangakkara prepares for his team’s biggest match of the tournament to date.

ESPNcricinfo previews the fourth Test between India and England in Nagpur

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan12-Dec-2012Match FactsDecember 13-17, Nagpur
Start time 9.30am (0400GMT)Tim Bresnan could be recalled by England if Steven Finn is ruled out of the final Test•AFPThe Big PictureThis could be a momentous Test match. From England’s point of view, a win or a draw would secure a series victory in India for the first time since 1984-85. For a new captain, Alastair Cook, that would be a herculean achievement, especially given the various issues he has had to deal with in the early months of his leadership.Then there is India. It would be foolish to write them off despite the margins of defeat in the last two matches, but there is a feeling of significant change being on the horizon. Although a series-levelling win could buy key figures some time, (despite papering over cracks being dangerous) it is not inconceivable that a series loss will see the end of MS Dhoni as captain, the end of Sachin Tendulkar and the end of Duncan Fletcher as coach. That ‘perfect storm’ scenario is unlikely, but even the fact it warrants discussion highlights India’s predicament.As has been the case ahead of each Test in this series, the pitch has been the focus of much attention although, sadly for comedic effect, there hasn’t been the sight of a groundsman being in the middle of a row. What do India think is best? England have shown over the last two matches that they are comfortable on a variety of surfaces. It was the slowest, lowest, pitch of series, in Ahmedabad, that caused them most problems.It’s a sign of the problems England have had in 2012 that defeat in this Test would make it the most losses they have suffered in a calendar year. However, some big lessons have been learned and there is a sense that the team is back on track. Finishing with a series win in India would be substantial proof of that.Form guide (Last five matches, most recent first)
India LLWWW
England WWLLDWatch out for…Test match No. 194 for Sachin Tendulkar. Could it be his last? Nobody knows what he is thinking about the future, but his powers are waning. There is a series against Australia next year, so maybe that will be time when he goes, but sooner rather than later the day will come for India. Does it need to be dragged out to a bitter end? This is not to say he can’t score runs – he fought doggedly for his 76 in Kolkata – but this is not the Sachin Tendulkar who has entertained the world for more than two decades.James Anderson produced one his finest overseas performances in Kolkata and even three wickets in each innings did not do justice to the skill he showed. He may well need a similar return in Nagpur and it is looking as though he’ll have an even greater burden on his shoulders after the emergence of Steven Finn’s injury. There is also the opportunity for one last duel with Tendulkar. The pair will not meet again at Test level.Team newsThere will be at least two changes for India after Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh were dropped, but such is the state of chaos around the team it is not clear which way they’ll go. It might be back to three frontline spinners, meaning a recall for Piyush Chawla, and Ajinkya Rahane, who averages 63.35 in first-class cricket, could debut at No. 6. The other options include Ravindra Jadeja as an allrounder at No. 6 with a balanced attack. Ashok Dinda and Parvinder Awana were both playing Ranji Trophy until yesterday so have not had much time with the squad.India (possible) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Ajinkya Rahane, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Pragyan OjhaEngland have been hit by a significant blow with Finn suffering a back injury, which makes him very doubtful. Stuart Broad is ruled out, so Tim Bresnan appears favourite to replace him, despite a poor year in Test cricket, although Graham Onions would also have a strong case. There are suggestions that Samit Patel’s spot at No. 6 could go to Jonny Bairstow. Patel has not looked out of his depth, despite not converting starts into a substantial score, and it would be a harsh omission.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Nick Compton, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Samit Patel, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Monty PanesarPitch and conditions”White and dry,” was the basic description of the pitch on the eve of the Test. It had not been watered for two days so it will spin, the question is how much and how soon. The weather won’t be an issue with daytime temperatures in the low 30s.Stats and trivia If Alastair Cook has another successful Test he could rise to the No. 1 batsman in Test cricket. England have not had the top-ranked batsman since Michael Vaughan in 2003. Only three England batsmen have scored four hundreds in a series – Herbert Sutcliffe (twice), Wally Hammond and Denis Compton Jason Krejza, the Australia offspinner, made his memorable (for right and wrong reasons) debut on this ground in 2008 ending with match figures of 12 for 358. Two years later, Dale Steyn took 7 for 51 after finding considerable reverse swing.Quotes”We have kept it really close, and the good thing is we are enjoying cricket, which at times you don’t tend to do when you go through a rough patch. When it comes to dressing-room atmosphere, it’s looking great.”
“Everyone knows how important this game is, but as a player you’ve got to take that emotion out of it. We’ve got to continue on the same path. We know how hard we’ve worked over these last couple of games, and we’ve got to do it again.”

Graham Gooch has been appointed as England’s full-time batting coach, after previously working with the team on a part-time basis

George Dobell in Dubai18-Feb-2012Graham Gooch has been appointed as England’s full-time batting coach. Gooch has been working with the team on a part-time basis – 100 days per year – since November 2009, but will take on the role full time from March 5 as England prepare for their Test series against Sri Lanka.The appointment is, in part, a reaction to the struggles of the England batsmen in the recently concluded Test series against Pakistan in the UAE. England lost the series 3-0 with many of the batsmen struggling to adapt to conditions that encouraged spin bowling. England only surpassed 300 once in the series and were bowled out for under 200 on four occasions. The nadir came when they were skittled for just 72 in the second Test in Abu Dhabi.Gooch returned to England on the eve of that Test. At the time Andy Flower, the England coach, admitted that “in a perfect world” Gooch would have remained with the team for the rest of the tour and his subsequent appointment provides further evidence of the ECB’s willingness to invest in the success of the international side. England’s ability to adapt to Asian conditions will be tested further when they tour Sri Lanka next month and India before Christmas.”Graham has been working really successfully with the England team in a part-time capacity,” Hugh Morris, England’s managing director, said. “The batsmen have progressed under him in that time. He will be spending time with the Test and the one-day teams but really importantly away from the Test match grounds he will now also be able to spend some quality time one on one with our top batters.”He is one of the iconic batsmen in English cricket and the guys enjoy having him around. He has a real gravitas, he is a workaholic and that is the kind of culture we are trying to develop with the England team.”Gooch, 58, who played 118 Tests and is the leading English runscorer in the format, stood down as Essex’s first-team batting coach in December to focus on his England responsibilities. He will now have more time to work with all centrally contracted players as well as other players selected for England squads. Graham Thorpe will continue in his role as ECB Lead Batting Coach, which involves working with batsmen on the England Performance Programme and those selected for England Lions. The ECB hopes that Thorpe and Gooch will help ensure a smooth transition for batsmen between the England Performance Programme and the senior England side.Gooch said: “I am delighted to be taking on the role of England batting coach on a full time basis. I will now have the opportunity to spend a lot more time with the players and other coaches both in the build-up to series and during the series themselves. I firmly believe that with the talent we have at the moment within the batting unit and those pressing for places we can continue to develop and improve as a side which is a very exciting prospect.”Flower added: “Graham has an excellent relationship with our batsman and is already an important part of our management team so I am very pleased that he will be joining us on a full-time basis. We have a challenging period of cricket ahead of us and I am very much looking forward to continuing to work closely with Graham as we look to improve across all formats of the game.”

Liverpool now look to set miss out on one of their transfer targets.

What’s the story?

That’s according to claims in Italy, via CaughtOffside, who claim that Renato Sanches will swerve a move to Liverpool with the 24-year-old set to make the move to AC Milan instead for around €20m with add-ons worth up to €5m.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-liverpool-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-salah-gnabry-isak-romano” title= “Read the latest Liverpool news!”]

It had been reported in Spain that the Reds were in advanced talks to sign Sanches in January with Jurgen Klopp identifying the Portuguese star as an ideal replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum, but a move never materialised.

Klopp will be fuming

Although Klopp and his players will be directing their full attention to the Premier League title race, there is no doubt that potential signings are being worked on and identified behind the scenes ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Merseyside outfit are neck-and-neck with Manchester City in the race for the title, with the Reds just one point behind Pep Guardiola’s men with four matches to go.

Naturally, winning the title will boost Liverpool’s chances of luring targets to Anfield over the summer, although, the colossal scale of the English juggernaut will make them an appealing prospect to any potential suitors.

If you were to find any weakness in Klopp’s squad (and it’s very hard), it can be argued that the midfield could do with higher quality depth.

Currently, the likes of Thiago, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho have been excellent whilst James Milner, despite being his hard-working self, is out of contract in the summer.

After the aforementioned quartet, Liverpool have Curtis Jones, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita in their roster, with only Keita managing to surpass 30 appearances for the season.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is another whose current deal at Anfield is approaching the latter stages, with the Englishman’s contract set to expire next summer and therefore the Reds could be tempted to cash in on the 28-year-old in the upcoming window.

In Ligue 1, Sanches has averaged a 7.14/10 rating this term, a higher league rating than any of Jones (6.93), Oxlade-Chamberlain (6.86) and Keita (7.12).

Therefore, there is no doubt that the 24-year-old would’ve added quality to Liverpool’s midfield depth, something that will be essential if the Reds are to repeat this season’s colossal effort of winning the League Cup whilst reaching the FA Cup final, looking set to reach the Champions League final as well as being a hair-width away from first place in the Premier League.

Missing out on Sanches is certainly a setback and will leave Klopp fuming.

AND in other news, Liverpool now plotting £85m bid for “phenomenal” starlet, Klopp would love him…

A round-up of the third day’s action from the Stanbic Bank 20 tournament in Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2010A fine all-round game for Ryan Butterworth secured Mashonaland Eagles a comfortable 31-run victory over Mountaineers in the Stanbic Bank 20 match in Harare.Butterworth was instrumental in helping Mashonaland recover from 67 for 5 in the 14th over to a far healthier 133 by slamming 41 not out from 24 balls before taking two wickets in a miserly spell that helped earn his side a second win in the tournament.After Andrew Hall had opted to make first use of the Harare pitch, Mashonaland slipped to 21 for 3 with English import Nick Compton falling to Tinashe Panyangara for 5 and Cephas Zhuwawo being castled by the wily offspin of Prosper Utseya. Wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva was the next to fall, run out by Mountaineers captain Hamilton Masakadza.Ryan ten Doeschate led a cautious recovery, taking 30 balls to make 17, with Greg Lamb scoring a similarly ponderous 17. It laid the platform for a late-innings assault from Butterworth and Forster Mutizwa. Butterworth struck five fours and a six while Mutizwa made 35 off 22 balls to carry the score to 133.Mountaineers were given a decent start by their openers until Butterworth struck with his seamers to remove Jonathan Beukes. Having worked their way to 54 for 2 at the halfway stage Mountaineers had the heart ripped out of their chase, losing three wickets in seven balls for the addition of four runs. Lamb had Sean Ervine caught behind and Timycen Maruma was run out next ball. Masakadza was then snared by Butterworth for 29 to complete the mid-innings collapse.All eyes were on former South African allrounder Lance Klusener and, while he was together with Utseya, Mountaineers were still in the game. But having struck two boundaries on his way to 22, he fell to fellow former South Africa allrounder Hall who rattled his stumps. Wickets kept tumbling around Utseya, and by the time he was ninth man out for 20, Mountaineers were out of the game.

Eoin Morgan is all set to become only the fourth player to have represented two countries in World Cups

Sidharth Monga in Chittagong09-Mar-2011Eoin Morgan is all set to become only the fourth player to have represented two countries in World Cups. His has been as interesting a story as the club of three he joins: Kepler Wessels, Anderson Cummins and Ed Joyce. When he played in the West Indies for Ireland four years ago, he – and all his Irish team-mates for that matter – knew that Ireland was just a milestone along the way. The destination was always England.Four years on, having fulfilled his dream of playing Tests for England, Morgan had to live with the disappointment of missing out on the other, the World Cup, with a broken finger. Two weeks into the World Cup, when Morgan was planning to go for a Champions League football match later in the week, he got a call from coach Andy Flower. Kevin Pietersen was injured. Morgan was needed. Champions League games can wait.”Obviously a call from Andy couple of days ago was a great feeling,” Morgan said before his first training session in the World Cup. “I have been part of the squad in the past. To come back in, and be part of the World Cup is very exciting.”Morgan almost didn’t make it, for the first diagnosis on the finger that he damaged during the one-day series in Australia was that it would need surgery. “The first day I arrived back in London, I saw a specialist,” he said. “The first analysis was that we needed an operation, but we wanted to wait a week to see what the progress was, healing and all. After a week, he changed his diagnosis, and from there it has healed quite nicely. It’s pretty strong at the moment.”The recuperation time has been spent in training with Middlesex, and in many ways it has come as a welcome break from a tiring schedule. During that down-time, he watched Ireland, the team he last represented, beat England, the team he now represents, and refers to as “we” Mixed emotions there were none. “It was an outstanding innings by Kevin O’Brien. I was pretty distraught that we lost, and didn’t get the result that we wanted. Ireland played really well.”Morgan hasn’t batted much at all during the break, but he doesn’t feel concerned about it. “Personally I don’t feel sort of undercooked or underprepared,” he said. “I feel very fresh. After nets for a couple of days, my preparation will be pretty similar to what it has been in the past. So I feel ready, yeah.”As expected, Morgan will walk into the side, and return to his favourite No. 5 position, from where he has scored two of his three England hundreds and averages 52.46 as opposed to 40.00 overall. “I mean I have been very successful at No. 5 in the past,” he said. “So it’s my favourite position to bat. I find coming in the middle overs, being a left-hander and playing spin okay, it’s one of the better parts of my game. Yeah I love batting at No. 5.”Being a good player of spin, Morgan brings value to the middle order. Moreover, this is his fourth trip to Bangladesh, which means he shouldn’t need much adjustment. “The conditions are always challenging here,” he said. “There is different bounce, there is turn in the pitches. The only thing I will have to adjust is to the heat. I hope I can produce some past sort of performances that I have here.”Having had time to think about the ODI series in Australia, Morgan doesn’t want to repeat mistakes he made in a disappointing series, in which he mae 106 runs at 17.66. “I didn’t play that well,” he said. “There have been a couple of games where I gave it away easily. I got out to bad balls. I can learn from that. It was a bad series for me.”Even though he comes in as a result of a big loss to England, Pietersen, there is huge anticipation around the return of Morgan, who has been one of their best in ODIs over the last year or so. Morgan doesn’t see that as pressure. “It doesn’t really bother me. I don’t dwell too much on it,” he said. “I am just going to try and play the exact some role I did, and try and sort of execute my skills as much as I can. As long as England are winning, I don’t care how much expectation is put on mine or anybody else’s shoulders.”

Shane Watson is in doubt for the Sydney Test after suffering yet another injury while bowling.

Brydon Coverdale27-Dec-2012Shane Watson is in doubt for the Sydney Test after suffering yet another injury while bowling.Watson hurt his left calf – the same muscle that caused him problems earlier in the summer and ruled him out of the first two Tests against South Africa – while bowling against Sri Lanka at the MCG on Boxing Day.The problem did not prevent Watson from batting on the second day and he was able to score 83 in an innings that lasted more than four hours but Cricket Australia revealed his injury late on Thursday night.”He was able to get though the batting innings today and is likely to field on day three,” team physio Alex Kountouris said. “Whether he bowls in the second innings will be determined closer to the bowling innings. A decision on his availability for the New Year Test will be made after the completion of the current match.”Watson has had an injury-plagued year, missing the whole of the last Australian Test summer due to hamstring and calf problems, before being ruled out of the Brisbane and Adelaide Tests this season after injuring his left calf while bowling in a Sheffield Shield match. As he recovered from that problem, he retained his determination to remain an allrounder and said he would not consider giving up bowling “unless something goes very horribly wrong”.During Australia’s victory against Sri Lanka in Hobart this month he bowled 47.4 overs, easily the most he has ever sent down in a Test, as he helped cover for Ben Hilfenhaus, who broke down during the game.In the lead-up to the Boxing Day Test, Watson said his body had recovered well from the workload and he was looking forward to contributing more with the ball in future.”My body has pulled up really well so far from the amount of bowling,” Watson said in Melbourne on Sunday, three days before the Test began. “To be able to get through that many overs is something that I’ve been thinking about for the last six months, and more so dreaming to be honest, to be able to contribute to an Australian Test bowling side of things with that amount of overs.”I’ve pulled up really well from it. I always wished I was able to contribute some time when the team needed it. Unfortunately for Ben Hilfenhaus he went down injured but it meant that it gave me an opportunity to see if my body could handle that sort of thing and so far it has.”

Hampshire allrounder Liam Dawson has signed on as as the overseas player for the Zimbabwe franchise Mountaineers

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2011Hampshire allrounder Liam Dawson has signed on as the overseas player for the Zimbabwe franchise Mountaineers.Dawson, 21, scored 908 runs for Hampshire in the County Championship Division One at an average of 36.32 including two centuries and also picked up three wickets. Hampshire finished at the bottom of the points table and were relegated to the second division.”I’ve never been over there [Zimbabwe] before but I’ve got to be prepared because there’s extra pressure and responsibility as an overseas player,” Dawson said. “You’ve got to prove that you’re good enough to take their overseas place – there should be a few other players from England out there too.”