Phillip Hughes doesn't bowl but he's rapidly becoming a different type of allrounder in this Australia line-up. After all, how many players can say they have batted in every position from opener to No. 6 in the space of five games? More than that, how many players could say they have done it with the success of Hughes, who has scored half-centuries everywhere except No. 4 on this Ashes tour? It was...
'I was fortunate they dropped my catches' - Dhawan
After his startling reincarnation as an international opener, it's easy to forget that Shikhar Dhawan was once written off by many observers as being unfit for national service. Since his return to ODIs at the Champions Trophy, he has scored 631 runs at 57.36, relying mainly on his silken touch through the off side. In the course of his third ODI century, however, he relied as much on luck as anything...
India dominate but Sri Lanka hold on for draw
India Under-19s 503 for 7 dec (Zol 173, Samson 89, Karunaratne 4-94) drew with Sri Lanka Under-19s 256 (Kulasekara 76, Yadav 4-95) and 264 for 9 (Samarawickrama 88, Sumanasiri 62)Scorecard Sri Lanka's final-wicket partnership withstood 55 balls to salvage a draw against India in Dambulla. Following on after they could only muster 256 in the first innings in reply to India's 503 - a total courtesy...
Chopra, Maddy keep knockouts in view
Warwickshire 149 for 2 (Chopra 75*) beat Worcestershire 145 for 8 (Woakes 3-28) by eight wicketsScorecard Varun Chopra and Darren Maddy tormented Worcestershire again by leading Warwickshire to an eight-wicket win in the Friends Life t20 West Midlands derby at Edgbaston. The pair followed up their Warwickshire record partnership for any wicket in the competition - 119 at New Road two weeks ago...
Jul
26
Glamorgan's Friday night party
Glamorgan have a terrific chance to progress to the quarter-finals of the Friends Life t20, but is on-field success or the days of the week the key factor for pulling in the crowds?Cricket in Cardiff is most often a placid affair. The gentle flow of the River Taff matching a sedate nature inside the Swalec Stadium that, on the whole, reflects county cricket around the country. But over the last few...
Taylor calls for bolder batting
Zimbabwean top-order collapses have been as ubiquitous as the kombis (mini-vans) on the local roads in the last decade. During that time, on average, the score usually hasn't yet reached 30 by the time the first wicket falls. The loss of early wickets has clearly been identified as a problem area by the coaching department, and in that regard Sikandar Raza and Vusi Sibanda's effort in the first ODI...
Stokes keeps Durham's quarter-final hopes flickering
Durham 120 for 5 (Stokes 41*, Taylor 4-11) beat Leicestershire 119 for 7 (Thakor 42, Rushworth 3-19) by five wicketsScorecard Ben Stokes and Gareth Breese propelled Durham to a third successive win in the Friends Life Twenty20 against Leicestershire at Chester-le-Street. Coming together on 56 for 5 in the 13th over in pursuit of Leicestershire's modest total of 119 for 7, they shared an unbroken...
Lord's sell-out watch Middlesex crash
Surrey 178 for 7 (O'Brien 54, Patel 3-28, Berg 3-37) beat Middlesex 92 by 86 runsScorecard It was over so quickly that people didn't really know what to do with themselves. Some stayed in their seats, others meandered - all finishing off the food, drink and conversations that would have lasted them 20 minutes more. The rest sidled out into the streets of North-West London, muttering about one...
Jul
25
'More than nervous, I was emotional' - Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu's personal history has all the makings of a classic bildungsroman. The early promise of a teenage prodigy, the growing pains, the rebel years, and now redemption. The final chapter of his story is yet to be written, but now that he's enjoyed a successful debut for India, it's a lot more likely that his ending will be a happy one. "It feels marvelous," said Rayudu after he shared a match-winning...
Penalty compounds Gloucs misery
Warwickshire 149 for 3 (Clarke 40) beat Gloucestershire 145 for 7 (Klinger 68, Javid 3-26) by 0 wicketsScorecard Warwickshire kept their hopes of reaching the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals alive while inflicting further misery on Gloucestershire with a seven-wicket win at Edgbaston. The Bears paced their chase of a 126-run target to perfection with Varun Chopra and William Porterfield leading...
Stevens edges basement battle for Kent
Kent 173 for 7 (Stevens 67*) beat Sussex 164 for 6 (Machan 67) by nine runsScorecard Kent edged victory by nine runs in the basement battle against Sussex watched by a near 4,000 crowd at Canterbury. The visitors' challenge faded when Scott Styris was caught on the deep-midwicket boundary from the fourth ball of the final over, having hit the previous two balls for four and six. New Zealand international...
Lancashire have power when its needed
Lancashire 127 for 2 (Moore 66*) beat Yorkshire 124 for 8 (Lyth 32, McClenaghan 2-19) by eight wicketsScorecard An electricity failure may not have been the perfect dress rehearsal for hosting the third Investec Ashes Test in a week's time but as omens go, an emphatic hammering of your fiercest rivals to all but secure your place in the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals was almost as good as it gets...
Jul
24
Australia revival 'will take time' - Howard
Australian cricket faces years of difficult times ahead until the nation's domestic competitions can again be relied upon to provide effective preparation for young batsmen and spin bowlers. This grim view was not shied away from by Cricket Australia's team performance manager, Pat Howard, as he sifted through the wreckage of the 347-run defeat at Lord's, which has left many wondering how such a result...
McClenaghan earns dramatic tie
Lancashire 139 for 9 (Cross 28, Taylor 4-23) tied with Leicestershire 139 for 9 (Smith 45)Scorecard New Zealand fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan hit a last ball boundary to give Lancashire a dramatic tie with Leicestershire at Grace Road. Chasing a victory target of 140, Lancashire needed 13 to win off the final over bowled by left arm spinner Shakib Al Hassan. Eight runs came off the first four...
Goodwin, Allenby steer Glamorgan
Glamorgan 161 for 5 (Goodwin 59, Allenby 50) beat Worcestershire 157 for 6 (Samarweera 65, Kervezee 44) by five wicketsScorecard Glamorgan resurrected their hopes of reaching the Friends Life T20 quarter-finals with a final over victory over Worcestershire in Cardiff. The hosts were indebted to half centuries from Murray Goodwin and Jim Allenby and a match-winning cameo from Ben Wright. Set 158...
Durston, Hughes blast Notts away
Derbyshire 101 for 8 (Durston 50*, Hughes 46) beat Nottinghamshire 92 for 7 (Lumb 43) by 16 runsScorecard Derbyshire kept themselves in contention for a place in the quarter-finals of the Friends Life t20 after pulling off a 16-run victory over Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. Openers Chesney Hughes and Wes Durston set up the win by putting on 98 together as the visitors totalled 108 for 1, after...
Jul
23
SA to stick with two specialist spinners
South Africa sunk to their second-heaviest defeat ever, in terms of runs, on Saturday, but AB de Villiers said he would seek to employ a similar strategy against Sri Lanka in the second ODI. South Africa's bowlers were largely to blame for the loss, conceding 320 for 5, and 137 in the last 12 overs, but de Villiers was particularly enamoured of the prospect of fielding two frontline spinners. Robin...
BCCI relationship Lorgat's top priority
Understanding the BCCI's concerns and improving his relationship with the Indian board is one of Haroon Lorgat's top priorities as he begins his tenure as chief executive of CSA. Lorgat was appointed on Saturday and will officially take over the role on August 1 for a term of three years. His unveiling ends a nine-month period of uncertainty for the organisation which has been without a permanent...
T20 'chipping away' at Test skills - Gooch
Graham Gooch has spelled out something that no one at Cricket Australia is prepared to publicly say - Twenty20 is "chipping away" at the skills required of Test batsmen, and Gooch, England's batting coach, works every day to ensure his men are not eroded as Australia's have been. In the aftermath of the Lord's Test, the England captain, Alastair Cook, spoke warmly of Gooch, a figure often derided...
Pattinson ruled out of Ashes series
James Pattinson has been ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes series in England after being diagnosed with a stress fracture of the lower back. Pattinson reported "hip and back soreness" after the final day of the second Investec Test at Lord's and subsequent scans, which he underwent in London on Monday, showed the early signs of a stress fracture. He will travel with the squad to Sussex and...
Jul
22
Desolate Clarke points finger at batsmen
If there was optimism in Michael Clarke's voice after Trent Bridge, it had turned to utter desolation at Lord's. On the receiving end of Australia's sixth consecutive Test defeat, a sequence last experienced in the grim days of 1984, Clarke was clearly upset by a hiding that has all but ended the team's hopes of regaining the Ashes in England. Speaking frankly of the team's myriad batting problems...
England's youngest at Lord's
The DRS is not the solution, it's part of the problem (233) Not only does the review system rob the game of spontaneity and drama, it does not get rid of the mistakes it was created to eradicate How about demanding honesty from the players? (174) As a system, the DRS is less than ideally set up. It's time cricketers policed themselves to some extent The worst dismissal in history? (53) Plays...
Steely Cook has eyes on bigger prize
It was the lack of euphoria that should worry Australia most. While Alastair Cook admitted to some satisfaction and a few celebratory drinks in the dressing room following England's emphatic victory at Lord's, there was a steely resolve about him that spelled out a clear message: the job is not completed. Cook's first Ashes experience as a player was a humbling experience. He was part of the team...
The rotting of Australian cricket
The marginalising of grade and Shield competitions has left a painful legacy for the Test teamAmid the usual sea of opinions leading into this series, Andrew Strauss cut to the core of Australian cricket's troubles with an observation he made about the last Ashes tour down under. While the Test matches of 2010-11 and their margins were clear, Strauss noticed something a little more far-reaching and...
Jul
21
Dominant Sangakkara gets better with age
At 35, a lifetime of learning is propelling Kumar Sangakkara's cricket far further than his innate ability ever could. He is now churning out match-winning innings that have frustratingly eluded himCricketers are sometimes labeled 'great students of the game'. Often these students are men who distinguish themselves from the peloton of cricket's sporty jocks by a yearning to learn more about the history...
Pietersen injury doubt for third Test
Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of the remainder of the second Investec Ashes Test at Lord's with a calf strain and his involvement in the third Test is now in doubt. Pietersen injured his calf while fielding on the second day at Lord's and did not warm-up with the England team on the third morning. He underwent a scan on Saturday and will not field again in the Lord's Test. He will now be assessed...
Friday's sins bring Saturday's consequences
Australia's penalty for madness with the bat on the second day is pain on the third As the evening shadows began to creep across Lord's, Ashton Agar stepped in to bowl to Jonny Bairstow. His languid action, more stilted in this match due to a hip complaint, wound up towards the crease in seven bounding steps, before his left arm began its ascent. Usually it rolls over smoothly and propels the ball...
Root proves he can cope with all comings
Whatever is he asked, Joe Root has shown the awareness, confidence, range and selflessness to do it. It must be disconcerting to have a Test match taken away from you by Joe Root. Like being mugged by a toddler, the face seems too fresh and boyish to resist the brutality of fast bowling or cope with the pressure and intensity of a full house at Lord's. But Root can cope. No career comes with guarantees...
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