C r i c H o t L i n e |
- Preview: Australia vs England 3rd ODI Birmingham 2012
- Dilshan, Sangakkara lift gloom with tons on Day 4 of 2nd Test
- Champions League T20 tournament to be held from October 9-28, 2012
- Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Day 4 Highlights 2nd Test Colombo 2012
- Mark Gillespie ruled out of West Indies tour
- Sehwag, Zaheer set to return in Indian squad for Sri Lanka tour
- Jade Dernbach ruled out of Australia series due to injury
| Preview: Australia vs England 3rd ODI Birmingham 2012 Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:22 PM PDT
Australia managed to take a few positives from defeat at Lord's, but the sorry loss at The Oval has left the visitors looking decidedly ragged. Their batting was pedestrian and the bowling was highly inconsistent and wayward. Fifties to Shane Watson and George Bailey ultimately proved only of statistical value, and the worry is that Australia don't have any reserve batsman in their 15-man squad to replace struggling players like David Hussey and Peter Forrest. Hussey is batting too far down the order and must be promoted, and Forrest lacks the spark needed from an ODI match-winner. While Watson's innings at The Oval was a welcome return to form, it included a dropped catch, a missed run-out opportunity and an lbw referral. That leaves David Warner and Michael Clarke as the two key batsmen for Australia and if both of them fail at Edgbaston, it will take some doing from the other batsmen to put up a decent show. At The Oval, Australia’s bowling was extremely substandard, to put it mildly. This attack is overly dependent on Brett Lee and when he has an off-day, the rest of their bowlers, apart from Clint McKay, tend to be shown up. Though McKay is not express pace he has a canny mind and mixes his deliveries well. Sufficed to say he has looked Australia's best bowler on tour. Mitchell Johnson played his first international match after an injury but looked out-of-sorts. He bowled three no-balls in his first two overs and Alastair Cook and Ian Bell took good advantage of free-hit deliveries. Australia must be toying with the idea of playing either Ben Hilfenhaus or James Pattinson in the next match. England have looked a far superior side and all their players are in terrific form. They’ve won eight ODIs on the trot, their best run in 50-over cricket, and must be eying the whitewash which will make them the No. 1 team in all three formats. Cook and Bell are proving a reliable opening pair and together with Jonathan Trott, Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan – each Man-of-the-Match winners so far – have stamped their authority over Australia. Bopara’s fine showing with the ball in the second ODI has also given England another bowling option, considering the injuries facing James Anderson and Jade Dernbach. Two issues England must address, however, are fitness and catching; the latter was not as impressive at The Oval given the team's high standards. England and Australia have played eight matches at Edgbaston, out of which England have won four with one match being abandoned. Edgbaston is a batting paradise as far as ODIs go and the last four ODIs have seen the team batting first amassing monumental totals. In fact, the team who has batted first has won the last four ODIs played at this ground. Probable XIs: Australia: 1 Shane Watson, 2 David Warner, 3 David Hussey, 4 George Bailey, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Peter Forrest, 7 Matthew Wade, 8 Brett Lee, 9 Clint McKay, 10 James Pattinson, 11 Xavier Doherty  |
| Dilshan, Sangakkara lift gloom with tons on Day 4 of 2nd Test Posted: 03 Jul 2012 07:56 AM PDT
The hosts, replying to Pakistan’s first innings total of 551/6 declared, took their overnight score of 70/1 to 278/5 by stumps on the fourth day at the Sinhalese Sports Club. Dilshan scored 121 and Sangakkara was unbeaten on 144 as the pair put on 225 runs for the second wicket after opener Tharanga Paranavitana fell for zero on Monday.
Pakistan grabbed four wickets in the final session to leave Sri Lanka still needing 74 more runs to save the follow-on on the last day. But a draw appears likely as rain once again wiped off two hours of play in the post-lunch session after bad weather on the previous two days restricted the bowlers to only 71 of the stipulated 180 overs. More rain has been forecast for the final day on Wednesday. Sangakkara had scored an unbeaten 199 and Dilshan made 101 in the first Test in Galle last week which Sri Lanka won by 209 runs to take the lead in the three-match series. Both settled down once again to pound the Pakistani attack on a dead pitch that provided no assistance to the bowlers. Dilshan was the first to the landmark, lofting off-spinner Saeed Ajmal for a six to bring up his 14th Test hundred and the third against Pakistan. Left-handed Sangakkara surpassed Australian legend Don Bradman’s tally of 29 centuries with a single off Ajmal in the next over. When Sangakkara reached 60, he become the highest run-getter against Pakistan, surpassing Indian great Sunil Gavaskar’s tally of 2,089 runs from 24 Tests. Sangakkara, who is playing his 15th Test against Pakistan, has scored nine centuries against them with a top score of 230 in Lahore in March, 2002. Dilshan was dismissed in the final hour of play when he was trapped leg-before by left-arm seamer Junaid Khan. He hit 13 fours and a six. Junaid then picked up his third wicket as skipper Mahela Jayawardene padded up to an incoming delivery and was declared leg-before by umpire Simon Taufel for no score. Ajmal removed Thilan Samaraweera for zero and Abdur Rehman sent back nightwatchman Suraj Randiv in the day’s last over to enable Pakistan to end the day on a high. The third Test will be played in Pallekele from July 8. © AFP  |
| Champions League T20 tournament to be held from October 9-28, 2012 Posted: 03 Jul 2012 05:09 AM PDT
Centurion and Durban are the other two venues announced by the CLT20 Governing Council. The event will feature a galaxy of international stars, who will be part of 14 champion teams, from as many as eight countries. Apart from finalising the host venues, the governing council has also confirmed the teams.
The teams which have made it to the tournament are Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils, defending champions Mumbai Indians (from India), Auckland Aces (New Zealand), Trinidad & Tobago (West Indies), Sydney Sixers, Perth Scorchers (Australia) Titans, Highveld Lions (South Africa). Pakistan will be represented for the first time ever by Sialkot Stallions. The representatives from Sri Lanka and England will be decided after next month’s Sri Lanka Premier League and the ongoing Friends Life T20. The CLT20, the most lucrative club-cricket tournament in the world, is now in its fourth year, and it will be the second time that it is held in South Africa. India had hosted the tournament in 2009 and 2011 and were originally frontrunners to hold the competition in 2012 as well. The last time South Africa had hosted the tournament, in 2010, Chennai Super Kings defeated Warriors in the final in Johannesburg. Of the already qualified teams, the Titans, Stallions and Australia’s two new Big Bash League Twenty20 teams, the Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers, will be making their first appearance in the tournament. The others include two former champions in Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. The 2012 CLT20 tournament and match schedule will be released later. CLT20 is an initiative of the BCCI, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa. The tournament will be preceded by a qualifying stage involving six teams. The qualifiers, though, will not feature any IPL team unlike last year. The six teams to play in the qualifying stage are Sialkot Stallions, Auckland Aces, Trinidad and Tobago and one team from Sri Lanka and two from England. (PTI)  |
| Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Day 4 Highlights 2nd Test Colombo 2012 Posted: 03 Jul 2012 04:48 AM PDT
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Day 4 Highlights 2nd Test 2012. Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 2nd Test Cricket Highlights. Watch Pak vs SL Day 4 Highlights 2nd Test Colombo 2012. Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Cricket Highlights 2nd Test played at Colombo on 03 July 2012. Part 1  |
| Mark Gillespie ruled out of West Indies tour Posted: 03 Jul 2012 02:28 AM PDT
Gillespie was due to travel to Antigua for the first of two Tests beginning on July 25 but chief selector Kim Littlejohn said he would remain in New Zealand after suffering ligament damage and severe bruising to his ankle. “As a precautionary measure Mark feels that it would be the right decision to stay in Wellington to continue working on his rehabilitation,” Littlejohn said.
New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor has already confirmed he will miss the five-match one-day series beginning in Kingston on Friday after injuring his shoulder during a pre-tour Twenty20 international series in Florida. Taylor, whose side were crushed by the West Indies in both the Florida T20 matches, is also in doubt for the Test series. Meanwhile, veteran allrounder Jacob Oram has been ruled out of the one-day series after straining his knee during the T20s, forcing selectors to call up Trent Boult to boost the tourists’ bowling stocks. Batsman Kane Williamson, 21, will lead the Black Caps during the one-dayers, making him New Zealand’s youngest-ever limited overs captain. New Zealand have never won a Test or one-day series in the West Indies. (AFP)  |
| Sehwag, Zaheer set to return in Indian squad for Sri Lanka tour Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:00 AM PDT
The duo, along with Zaheer’s pace understudy Umesh Yadav, sat out of the Asia Cup in Bangladesh in March on fitness grounds. They were also not part of the squad for the one-off Twenty 20 International in South Africa on March 30 which was India’s last international engagement.
With these three players expected to be available for selection, the squad for the Lanka tour — comprising only One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 ties — is set to see some changes from the side which flopped in the Asia Cup and lost the rain-hit T20 match to the hosts in Johannesburg by D/L method. With Sehwag back in action, one of the other middle order batsmen from the Asia Cup squad will have to be sacrificed and Bengal’s Manoj Tiwary could be the man to make way for the former’s return. It’s not clear whether Sachin Tendulkar, who had set the fabulous record of 100 international hundreds in the previous 50-over competition that India took part in, is available for the Lanka tour following his nomination as a Rajya Sabha member. According to selection committee sources, things would become clear just before the five-member team sits down to choose the touring squad when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) convener Sanjay Jagdale apprises them about the availability and fitness concerns, if any, of players in contention. If by any chance Tendulkar decides to opt out of what is widely perceived to be a low-key series commencing on July 21, Ajinkya Rahane is the man most likely to be named as the third opener after Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Another subject of debate could be whether experienced off spinner Harbhajan Singh should be given a recall after having been kept in cold storage for so long. The low bouncing, spinning tracks in Lanka could prompt the selectors to include the feisty bowler who led Mumbai Indians to a play-off spot in the Indian Premier League. Rahul Sharma was part of the squad that went to Dhaka and South Africa and looks most likely to be left out if the selectors decide to bring back Harbhajan though it would mean lack of variety with R Ashwin almost certain of a place. In the pace bowling department, the availability of Zaheer and Yadav means two from the quartet of Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar, Ashok Dinda and Irfan Pathan would have to make way unless Pathan makes it as a bowling all-rounder. Ravindra Jadeja, a big disappointment in the IPL, is fighting to retain his place in the team but his main rival Yusuf Pathan too has not really impressed and the selectors could be left in a dilemma on the matter. The only advantage for Jadeja is that he is a left-arm bowler while Pathan would be the fifth off-spin option if Harbhajan gets the nod with Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma also capable of chipping in when needed. The selectors could also go in for a totally new face based on what the two committee members -? Surendra Bhave and Narendra Hirwani -? witnessed in the West Indies when watching the India A players in action there. India A captain Cheteshwar Pujara was in good form in the four-day games and is largely considered as more suitable for the longer formats. A newcomer like 25-year-old Jalaj Saxena (Madhya Pradesh) who could bat lower down the order and also bowl off spin, and medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Uttar Pradesh) could be the surprise selections based on what they did for India A in the West Indies. In Sri Lanka, India will play against the hosts in a five-match ODI series between July 21 and August 4 followed by a one-off T20 game on August 7. (PTI)  |
| Jade Dernbach ruled out of Australia series due to injury Posted: 03 Jul 2012 12:41 AM PDT
The Surrey seamer injured himself in Sunday’s second match of five, on his home ground of The Oval, where a six-wicket win gave England a 2-0 lead. Dernbach was already due to miss Wednesday’s third One-Day International against Australia at Edgbaston on compassionate grounds.
He and fellow England squad member Stuart Meaker are due to attend Wednesday the funeral of their former Surrey team-mate Tom Maynard, who died at the age of 23 in an incident on a London Undeground train line last month. Earlier on Monday, Warwickshire seamer Chris Woakes was called up to cover the absences of Meaker and Dernbach. First-choice fast bowler James Anderson missed Sunday’s match with a groin injury, and his participation in the rest of the series remains uncertain. The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed Dernbach’s side injury in a statement issued Monday that also said: “A rehabilitation and recovery programme will be established alongside Surrey CCC in the coming days following further medical assessment.” England plan to announce a replacement for Dernbach after Wednesday’s match in Birmingham. Before Sunday’s match at the Oval, teenage Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins was ruled out of the remainder of the series with a side strain. (AFP)  |
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