All posts by n8rngtd.top

Craig Kieswetter continued his superb form with a hard-hitting 103 as Somerset moved off the bottom of Clydesdale Bank 40 Group B with an eight-wicket victory over Durham at Taunton

22-Jul-2012
ScorecardCraig Kieswetter made it two hundreds in two days•Getty Images

Craig Kieswetter continued his superb form with a hard-hitting 103 as Somerset moved off the bottom of Clydesdale Bank 40 Group B with an eight-wicket victory over Durham at Taunton.Fresh from his match-winning 152 in the LV= County Championship success over Warwickshire on Saturday, Kieswetter plundered nine fours and six sixes in his 61-ball innings as Somerset overcame Durham’s 147 with almost half their 40 overs to spare.Gareth Breese top-scored for Durham with 31 not out, while Peter Trego removed three of the top four to finish as Somerset’s most successful bowler with 3 for 26 in six overs.More good news for Somerset was the return to action of former England batsman Marcus Trescothick, three months after he ruptured ankle ligaments while fielding against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.Trescothick made 15 from 17 deliveries before being bowled by Chris Rushworth and, having proved his fitness, now looks set to lead Somerset in Tuesday’s Friends Life t20 quarter-final against Essex at Taunton.Durham, with three wins from their previous six CB40 games, were always struggling once Trego had ripped through the top order. He had Phil Mustard caught behind off the last ball of the first over and Johann Myburgh taken at cover by Jos Buttler in his next.Then, after Craig Meschede had Paul Collingwood caught at cover by Max Waller, Trego struck again when he held a return catch to dismiss Mark Stoneman, which made it 34 for 4. A fifth-wicket partnership of 33 between Ben Stokes and Gordon Muchall transpired to be Durham’s best of the innings, but it came to an end when Stokes was caught on the mid-wicket boundary by James Hildreth off leg-spinner Waller.Waller claimed his second wicket, when Muchall chipped to Trescothick at short mid-wicket, and then provided the direct hit which ran out Dale Benkenstein to make it 96 for seven. Alfonso Thomas had Scott Borthwick lbw for a duck and the veteran seamer went on to finish with a very economical return of 1 for 12 in seven overs.Mitchell Claydon made an aggressive 18 before being caught behind down the leg-side off Lewis Gregory. Breese played well for his unbeaten 31, but Durham’s innings ended when Rushworth was bowled by Gregory and a total of 147 never looked likely to trouble Somerset’s formidable batting line-up.Trescothick hit a couple of boundaries – a late cut off Myburgh and a back-foot force off Rushworth – before he was bowled by a slower delivery from the latter. It turned into the Kieswetter show after that as the England one-day international wicketkeeper peppered the boundary boards.Kieswetter hit two sixes off Claydon in the seventh over, the first deposited over extra cover and the second over mid-wicket. He brought up his half-century from 38 balls and required only 20 more to register his hundred.His four remaining sixes were all struck down the ground. The first came off Borthwick’s leg-spin, the next off Collingwood and then the last two were taken from successive Claydon deliveries.Kieswetter’s remarkable innings ended in the 18th over when he holed out to Borthwick on the long-on boundary off Rushworth, which left Nick Compton and Hildreth to complete a comfortable victory.

The 2012-13 New Zealand domestic season will feature 12 televised HRV Cup matches, on Friday nights during the Christmas holiday period

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2012The 2012-13 New Zealand domestic season will feature 12 televised HRV Cup matches, on Friday nights during the Christmas holiday period. New Zealand chief executive David White, in a board release, said the deal to broadcast part of the domestic Twenty20 competition was ‘an excellent result’ for the sport in the country.”Having the HRV Cup on Friday nights is an excellent result for cricket, with more people getting the chance to see top quality competition. We believe it’s the best of both worlds,” White said. “There’s the opportunity to showcase the HRV Cup in living rooms across the country throughout November and December, while still catering for cricket lovers during the popular holiday period.”The HRV Cup will be played from November 2 to January 20, with the 50-overs competition, the Ford Trophy following. The Ford Trophy will have a five-week window: the first of eight rounds begin on February 26, with the final on March 30, also set to be televised.The first-class tournament, the Plunket Shield, will be played on either side of Christmas: the first 16 rounds will be played before Christmas, and the remaining 14 from the end of January.

Worcestershire have announced a profit of £225,000 thanks to £350,000 from Premier Inn for a long-term lease on a hotel development

David Hopps25-Jan-2013Worcestershire have announced a profit after interest of £225,000 for the year ending September 30, 2012, a figure heavily swollen by proceeds from Premier Inn for a long-term lease for a hotel development at New Road designed to secure the county’s financial future.Without the exceptional payment of £350,000, Worcestershire would have shown a pre-tax loss of £125,000 after one of the wettest summers on record. New Road is particularly susceptible because of recurring flooding of the ground from the River Severn.In a season where Worcestershire were relegated from Division One of the championship, income fell by 12 per cent to £2.62m.Worcestershire’s annual report states: “At the club’s 2011 AGM it was noted that we had done a great deal to reduce risk, but clearly have not yet done enough to offset the extreme adverse weather in 2012. Met Office figures showed 2012 to be the second wettest summer since records began and resulted in the loss of over 15 days home and away cricket, making 2012 a real challenge.”However, we now have our Premier Inn hotel and new club facilities under construction, which is anticipated to attract 35,000-40,000 hotel visitors a year. Combined with our own new conferencing, bars and executive facilities will allow the Club to extend existing revenue streams as well as develop new areas. This will create a truly 365-day-a-year business. With a long-term, viable and sustainable future ultimately allowing further investment both on and off the pitch.”Phase 2 of Worcestershire’s ground improvements is now underway on the Severn side of the ground, which should see a 120-room hotel completed by November 2013. The report admitted: “While it is expected there will be some disruption during the 2013 season, we feel it is a small price to pay for the future benefits the facilities will bring.”

The SCG and Sydney Showground had been due to host eight BBL matches later in January

Daniel Brettig05-Jan-2021Border closures and logistical complications related to Sydney’s Covid-19 outbreak are set to compel Cricket Australia to move a bracket of BBL games out of New South Wales, in a further hurdle for the governing body amid all the issues surrounding the SCG and Gabba Tests.Though the Sydney Test is set to get underway on Thursday with Australia and India playing out the remainder of the series under far stricter bubble conditions than they had previously needed to comply with – in order to satisfy the requirements of the Queensland government to allow the SCG match to preceded the final Test of the series in Brisbane – the BBL’s patchwork of fixtures are another matter.Eight matches are currently scheduled to be played in Sydney from January 13 onwards, four each at the SCG and the Sydney Showgrounds in the western suburbs. However, with indications that borders to NSW are set to remain closed until at least the end of January, CA looks increasingly likely to shift at least some if not all of these matches into a state with borders open to Victoria – South Australia and Adelaide Oval looking the most likely option.Related

• Ashton Agar ruled out the BBL regular season

• Marcus Stoinis' near-century, gravity-defying Andre Fletcher script Melbourne Stars victory

• Burns, Denly, Mujeeb play key roles in Heat's win

Sydney Thunder, Sydney Sixers, Perth Scorchers, Hobart Hurricanes, Adelaide Strikers and Brisbane Heat are the clubs presently slated to be travelling through Sydney to play in the scheduled matches. Adelaide’s presence in the BBL was set to conclude with a fixture between Adelaide Strikers and Melbourne Stars on January 11, two days before the first of the Sydney games.A shift to Adelaide would mean that the Thunder, Sixers, Scorchers Hurricanes and Heat would be able to smoothly transit from their current camps in Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia into SA from January 13 onwards, given open borders currently open between all those states and SA.Another complication for CA is that fact that any games in Sydney would need to be played, and teams accommodated, under the same sort of strict and costly quarantine conditions as those currently required for the Test teams, where an entire hotel is booked out and security staff hired to monitor it.CA is also monitoring circumstances around the selection of Melbourne fixtures meant to round out the regular competition in late January, although these games are believed to be less likely to move than those currently set down for Sydney. CA has always reserved the right to shift fixtures during the BBL in the event of further border and Covid-19 issues, and is also yet to announce where the five finals matches – scheduled to be played between January 29 and February 6 – will be hosted.In a further scheduling change forced by border restrictions, the opening seven matches of the Women’s National Cricket League – which had been due to be played between January 15 and 19 – have been delayed until late February and early March in a bid to enable a full tournament to be played.New South Wales had been due to travel to Adelaide and Canberra for their opening two matches.The WNCL season will now begin on January 25 with South Australia hosting Tasmania at Karen Rolton Oval. The final remains scheduled for March 27 although further changes could be required depending on the various state borders.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals in Mohali

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit04-May-2012

Match facts

Saturday, May 5, Mohali
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Mandeep Singh is Kings XI’s leading run-getter this season•AFP

Big Picture

For a side lacking the power and big names of other IPL teams like Kolkata Knight Riders or Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kings XI Punjab have a creditable away record this season, having won four of six games. It is at home where they have struggled, with only one win out of four matches in Mohali. In contrast, Rajasthan Royals have struggled to win away from their home ground, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, with four losses from five games.If you go by their form this season, neither team is a favourite for tomorrow’s game in Mohali. Royals, though, are going in with a run of four consecutive losses. In three of those defeats, it was their much-praised batting which failed to score sufficient runs. They lost only 13 wickets in these three games, suggesting that the top order used up a lot of overs.Kings XI, meanwhile, have had consecutive away wins, over fancied Royal Challengers and Chennai Super Kings. A loss tomorrow will hurt Royals more, and will leave them in need of having to win possibly every remaining game.

Form guide

(completed games, most recent first)
Kings XI Punjab: WWLWL
Rajasthan Royals: LLLLW

Players to watch

Rahul Dravid has been in fine touch and has scored 333 runs, but his strike-rate of 116.02 has meant he has not been able to dictate terms. His average innings has lasted close to 30 deliveries, which increases the pressure on the middle order in big chases, or on flat pitches. Mohali hasn’t exactly been a high-scoring venue this season, though.Mandeep Singh‘s record for the season, 277 runs at 118.37, is similar to Dravid’s. The young batsman, who plays for Punjab in the domestic circuit, has had a role to play in Kings XI’s previous two wins. Like Dravid, Mandeep is more at ease when playing orthodox shots.

Stats and trivia

• The highest team total in Mohali this season is 171, which is lowest among all venues.
• Royals have the worst away win-loss ratio, 0.68, among the eight old IPL franchises.

Quotes

“It was obviously a very positive week for us. We have won matches against some big teams at big stadiums… the challenge for us now is to rectify what we have done [wrong] here in Mohali.”

“The first thing we have to do is to get a win, arrest the slide and get back some of the momentum.”

The left-arm will miss the final two matches of the T20 series due to a family illness

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2020Mitchell Starc has been withdrawn from Australia’s T20 squad on compassionate grounds due to a family illness and will miss the final two matches of the series.It has not been confirmed when Starc will rejoin the squad. The Test group is due to link up in Adelaide next week ahead of the opening match of the series on December 17.”There is nothing in the world more important than family and in this case Mitch is no exception,” head coach Justin Langer said. “We will give Mitch all the time he needs and welcome him back into the squad with open arms whenever he feels the time is right for him and his family.”Starc missed the third ODI with soreness but returned for the opening T20I in Canberra and impressed with the new ball.Starc’s absence could open the door for AJ Tye or the uncapped Daniel Sams to come into Australia’s XI for the second T20I on Sunday.Australia’s resources for the T20 series have been stretched due to injuries and absences. David Warner, Ashton Agar, Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Marsh have all been missing while Pat Cummins was rested for the series. Captain Aaron Finch is also doubtful for the second match having picked up an injury in Canberra.

The pair scored unbeaten centuries – it was Priyank Panchal’s second ton of the match – as India Red set India Green a massive 474 for the win

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2017AFP

Priyank Panchal put in a repeat performance of his first-innings in the Duleep Trophy game against India Green, scoring twin centuries to tighten India Red’s grip on the match. Dinesh Karthik, meanwhile, bettered his first-innings performance, converting a fifty into a hundred this time around as India Red declared on 307 for 2 to set India Green a massive 474 for the win.Panchal’s twin centuries were the 12th such instance in the Duleep Trophy. Incidentally, Karthik has achieved the feat twice, in 2008-09 and 2010-11.Before the pair came together, Rahul Singh steadily grew India Red’s lead with Panchal, scoring 54. India Red had begun day three on 19 for 1, after bowling out India Green for 157 in reply to 323 on day two. Once Rahul departed, Karthik set to work, scoring at a brisk pace. His 100 came off 124 balls and included nine fours and two sixes. Panchal’s 133 came of 213 balls, with 18 fours. Ironically, the only two wickets to fall in the innings went to the part-time offspin of M Vijay – the India Test opener who’s making a comeback from a wrist injury for which he required surgery.Vijay was not as successful with the bat as India Green got on with their daunting chase, out for 13, before Prashant Chopra fell for a duck, both to one of the most effective bowlers of the previous innings – legspinner Karn Sharma. R Samarth and Karun Nair stopped the slide with an unbroken stand of 61, but both of them and the batsmen to follow will still have quite the task on the final day of the game.

Pakistan allrounder Shoaib Malik has been given a category A contract by the PCB for the period between July 2015 and June 2016

Umar Farooq05-Sep-2015Pakistan allrounder Shoaib Malik has been given a category A contract by the PCB for the period between July 2015 and June 2016, while offspinner Saeed Ajmal and fast bowler Junaid Khan were demoted to category B.

PCB’s monthly retainer

Peter Siddle has spent most of the summer helping Australia to Test wins and he kept his successful season up by bowling Victoria to victory on the third day against South Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2012
ScorecardPeter Siddle collected 6 for 43•Getty Images

Peter Siddle has spent most of the summer helping Australia to Test wins and he kept his successful season up by bowling Victoria to victory on the third day against South Australia. Siddle collected 6 for 43 from his 24 overs and his work ensured that half-centuries to Callum Ferguson, Tom Cooper and Travis Head would be in vain as the Redbacks again failed to bring up their first win of the Shield campaign.South Australia were chasing 302 and they began the day in trouble at 3 for 55, but Ferguson and Cooper compiled a strong partnership that gave the Redbacks a genuine chance. But their 134-run stand ended soon after lunch when Siddle got rid of both men, Cooper lbw for 62 and Ferguson caught behind cutting loosely outside off for 71.That left a mountain of work for the 18-year-old Head, who was playing his second first-class match and was the last of South Australia’s recognised batsmen. But after Adam Crosthwaite was bowled by Jayde Herrick for 16, Head and Chadd Sayers put together a 55-run partnership that kept the match alive until Sayers (21) was bowled by Jon Holland.The loss of Joe Mennie, who edged Siddle to slip, in the last over before the second new ball arrived hurt South Australia, who still needed 53 for victory at the time. The new ball helped Andrew McDonald get rid of Head, who top edged a pull for 57, and Siddle finished the match by trapping Peter George lbw for a duck to give Victoria a 34-run win.The success pushed Victoria up to third on the Shield table with two matches to play, but the first- and second-placed Queensland and Western Australia each have three games in hand. South Australia remain on the bottom with five losses, three draws and only two points from their eight matches.