cricketindia

Can Ganguly inspire Pune with bat?

2012-04-21T11:22:00.005+05:30

Match facts

Saturday, April 21, Delhi
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

Time is running out for Sourav Ganguly the batsman © AFP

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Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

Teams: Delhi Daredevils | India | Pune Warriors

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After losing a tight contest against Chennai Super Kings on Thursday night, Pune Warriors have flown two-and-a-half hours north to Delhi for their third consecutive away game. Warriors made an impressive start in the tournament with three wins out of four, but are now showing signs of homesickness. They have lost three consecutive away games and slipped to the fourth position after being on top for a while. That they are confronting a red-hot Delhi Daredevils team doesn't make their task any easier.

One of the concerns for Warriors is the form of their captain, Sourav Ganguly, who has scored only 85 runs this season. In Chennai, he faced 14 deliveries from the slow bowlers, his perceived area of strength, to score eight runs. He fell to left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati, managing to get the ball as far as mid-off. Against Daredevils, he won't have the luxury of facing much spin. Expect Virender Sehwag to unleash his fast bowlers on Ganguly.

Daredevils were lucky to get away with a win on Thursday against Deccan Chargers. Kevin Pietersen scored an unbeaten century after being dropped thrice while other big names faltered. Although they are at the top of the table, Sehwag would want himself and his team to put up a strong batting display to dispel doubts.

Players to watch

Ashish Nehra returns to his original home ground and his experience of playing at Kotla and with Sehwag will be important when Warriors devise their plans. Nehra made a good comeback in the previous match, picking up two wickets, after his horror last over in Bangalore.

Shahbaz Nadeem is flourishing under Sehwag. He has picked up five wickets in the last two matches while bowling at an economy of four. Nadeem's form has ensured that Daredevils haven't missed Roelof van der Merwe, allowing them to play Ross Taylor in his place.

2011 head-to-head

Daredevils played Warriors twice in 2011. They won a high-scoring game by three wickets in Navi Mumbai and the other was washed out.

Stats and trivia

Irfan Pathan has bowled six maiden overs in all seasons of IPL, which is second behind Praveen Kumar's eight
Robin Uthappa has 33 dismissals, some way behind Adam Gilchrist who leads the list for most dismissals, 50, in IPL history

Quotes
"The leadership he has brought to the team is fantastic. He is highly motivated and he wants to contribute. He is a knock away from showing what a world-class player he was."
Allan Donald, Warriors' bowling coach, on Sourav Ganguly

"Facing him in the middle during practice, I found him very hard to hit."
Kevin Pietersen on Shahbaz Nadeem, the left-arm spinner

Steady Chennai take on confident Rajasthan

2012-04-21T11:22:00.002+05:30

Match facts

Saturday, April 21, Chennai
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)

Chennai Super Kings have displayed their ability to withstand pressure and fight back © AFP

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Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

Teams: Chennai Super Kings | India | Rajasthan Royals

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While the IPL is only into its fifth season, the teams have already developed different reputations for what can be expected from them on the field. Chennai Super Kings are known for their ability to withstand pressure, fight back and win from weak positions. Rajasthan Royals are known for making the most of their comparatively thin resources and competing with the more power-packed sides. Both sides have displayed these traits this season as well. Having started shakily, Super Kings have managed to position themselves in the middle of the points table despite clearly being nowhere near their best as yet. Bolstered by new arrivals like Owais Shah and Brad Hodge, Royals have been one of the sides to beat so far.

Super Kings' decision to leave out M Vijay and promote S Badrinath to partner Faf du Plessis at the top of the order provided them a solid base in their previous game against Pune Warriors. Their medium-pacers and spinners then choked the Warriors batsmen. Super Kings will start slightly in front at home but Royals will be confident having chased 197 in their previous game against Deccan Chargers.

Players to watch

R Ashwin owes his early fame to the IPL, with strong shows in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. His lack of penetration at the international level recently has carried over into the IPL, with only two wickets this season from six games. His economy-rate, though, hasn't suffered but he needs to strike more as his side's lead spinner.

With an unbeaten century and a 98, Ajinkya Rahane has impressed with his uninhibited yet orthodox hitting. Both knocks have come on surfaces in Jaipur and Bangalore where the ball has come on; it usually does not in Chennai, and it will be interesting to see how Rahane adapts.

2011 head-to-head

Royals lost both their games to Super Kings in 2011. Michael Hussey and Suresh Raina easily chased 148 in Chennai while Super Kings' batting power was too much for Royals in Jaipur.

Stats and trivia

Before the start of this IPL, Rahane had 583 runs at a strike-rate of 110 from 42 Twenty20s. He has made 304 at 146.15 from six games so far.
Since losing the 2008 IPL final to Royals, Super Kings have won five of the next six games against them .

Quotes

"Rajasthan Royals have always been considered the underdogs. At the start of the tournament, we're never considered a strong team by the oppositions, and it is the same case this time... [But] I believe this is our strongest team in all five seasons."
Royals medium-pacer Siddharth Trivedi

TV ratings for IPL continue to fall

2012-04-21T11:21:00.005+05:30

Mumbai Indians' win over Rajasthan Royals, in which Kieron Pollard played a big role, drew the highest rating in the week gone by © AFP

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News : IPL cumulative viewership declines for the first time

Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

Teams: India

Television ratings for the IPL have continued to fall in comparison to 2011, but observers say the IPL is still a "very successful media property" and when it comes to ratings, it has been a victim of its own initial success.

The average Television Viewer Ratings (TVR) for the first 16 games of 2012 was 3.65, down 8.75% from the average of 4.00 at the same point last season. (TVR is a time-weighted figure which accounts for time spent by viewers in addition to the number of viewers). The cumulative number of people who tuned in to watch those games also declined from 127.40 million to 122.44 million, a drop of 3%, according to TAM Sports, a division of Tam Media Research, the leading television ratings agency in India ("Cumulative reach" is the number of individuals who watched a channel/programme for at least one minute).

However, the continued popularity of the league in relation to other television channels was reflected in the IPL [shown on Set Max] claiming the top five highest rated shows for the week from April 8 to April 14 and seven of the top 10, as reported by IndianTelevision.com. The game that drew the highest rating was Mumbai Indians' Kieron Pollard-inspired defeat of Rajasthan Royals on April 11, which posted a TVR of 5.26. Mumbai Indians' last-ball victory over Deccan Chargers on April 9 finished a close second, with a rating of 5.2.

"Viewership may have dropped but give me any other property that gives that kind of TVRs," Hiren Pandit, Managing Partner-Entertainment, Sports and Partnerships at Group M, a prominent media buying agency, told ESPNcricinfo. "That in itself says everything. The story is about, are you comparing the IPL to the IPL or are you comparing it to something else.

"What we need to keep in mind is that any repeat has also delivered lower TVRs. At some point, it will settle down."

Typically, if a television program on a general entertainment channel posts an average TVR of 4.00, it is considered to be a success. At this stage in 2010, the IPL had an average rating for 4.61. However, with the IPL on television screens every day for seven weeks, even an average of 3.65 is an indication of a show with a strong appeal. "Getting a three-something TVR is not bad at all," Santosh Desai, brand analyst and managing director of Future Brands, said. "To get it consistently on a daily basis is excellent. There is nothing that compares. You are talking about a very successful media property."

Of course, none of this is to say the league does not have its concerns. Prior to the season starting on April 4, Sony had reportedly only sold 60-70% of its total inventory (at a rate of around Rs 5 lakhs for a ten-second spot) and has fewer advertisers this year than last. Executives at Sony did not respond to calls or text messages seeking comment.

According to Desai, the IPL's biggest problem is that it was overpriced at the very beginning, with too many people trying to squeeze too much money out of it. Viewership for the tournament is also based on sentiment, he said, and sentiment can change very quickly. "When the tide turns, then it can turn dramatically."

One potential explanation for the decline in ratings, Desai said, is that some of the non-cricketing audiences that took to the IPL in earlier years are now returning to their normal viewing habits. "The moment you decide to watch the IPL, you decide not to watch something else. So I think what you are seeing is a tipping of the balance back and a return to normal programming by the non-cricketing audience."

Pandit expects the ratings to be improve thanks the recent spate of close games and said that in the ultimate analysis, the league's continued appeal with viewers will depend on the quality of the cricket and not the entertainment that surrounds it. If the matches are exciting, then "you don't want to miss out when someone in the office tells you, 'did you see the match last night?'"

Gibson fined for criticism of DRS use

2012-04-21T11:21:00.002+05:30

Ottis Gibson's comments did not go down well with the umpires and the match referee © Getty Images

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News : Gibson critical of DRS use

Players/Officials: Ottis Gibson

Series/Tournaments: Australia tour of West Indies

Teams: West Indies

West Indies coach Ottis Gibson has been fined 20% of his match fee for criticising the lack of consistency in the use of the DRS.

His comments, made during the second Test between West Indies and Australia in Port-of-Spain, were found to be breaching the ICC Code of Conduct and he was charged with a Level 1 offence relating to inappropriate public comment, to which Gibson pleaded guilty.

"In the pre-series meetings it was agreed that players and coaches should not engage in negative media comments," Jeff Crowe, the ICC match referee, said. "Ottis accepts that he overstepped the mark during the game and has now accepted his sanction.

"The incident took place on Tuesday when, during the post-third day's play media briefing, Gibson challenged the efficacy of the Decision Review System (DRS) and its implementation by the match officials."

Hot Spot is not being used in the ongoing three-Test series for budgetary reasons - as it was not in the recent England-Sri Lanka contest - and its absence meant several close replays remained inconclusive, leaving decisions to be made based on the umpire's interpretation.

"I can't say what I really want to say about the DRS because the ICC will sack me or ban me or whatever," Gibson had said. "If the ICC is going to use DRS I think they should use all the technology and I think if we haven't got all the technology we shouldn't use it at all."

One contentious incident involved Michael Clarke in the first Test in Barbados, where he was given out caught-behind but the decision was overturned upon review, though Gibson argued there wasn't sufficient evidence in the replay to suggest the original decision was wrong.

"Over the course of the two Test matches, the way that it's panned out, the decisions that have gone against us," he said. "In Barbados we had a man out [Michael Clarke] and then he was given not out with the use of the cameras and so on. To us sitting watching it, we didn't see anything conclusive to say that he had hit it or not hit it so therefore we thought that the decision the umpire made in the first instance should have stood instead of being overruled."

The charge against Gibson was laid by on-field umpires Marais Erasmus and Ian Gould, and third umpire Tony Hill.

Gayle, de Villiers seal comfortable Bangalore

2012-04-21T11:18:00.002+05:30

Royal Challengers Bangalore 166 for 5 (Gayle 87, de Villiers 52, Awana 4-34) beat Kings XI Punjab 163 for 6 (Hussey 41, Mahmood 33*) by five wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

AB de Villiers was involved in a match-winning stand with Chris Gayle © AFP

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Players/Officials: Parvinder Awana | Azhar Mahmood | AB de Villiers | Chris Gayle

Matches: Kings XI Punjab v Royal Challengers Bangalore at Mohali

Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

Teams: India | Kings XI Punjab | Royal Challengers Bangalore

For a while, Kings XI Punjab showed some fight. Azhar Mahmood turned a middling total into a seemingly challenging one. Parvinder Awana jolted Royal Challengers Bangalore with three early strikes. But the visitors had Chris Gayle. And AB de Villiers. A nearly risk-free partnership of 131 at more than ten runs an over followed, shutting Kings XI out totally.

At 25 for 3 facing an asking-rate touching nine-and-a-half, Royal Challengers should have been pushed much more than they were. That they were not was down to the class of Gayle and de Villiers and the lack of depth in the Kings XI attack.

When they needed someone to increase the pressure after Awana's initial burst, Kings XI instead had Harmeet Singh delivering innocuous legbreaks from a long run-up on a greenish pitch. They were also confronted with two batsmen who were so much in control of the situation that they did not even bother to attack as much as they usually do.

Gayle kept the big strokes away as long as he could rein himself in but that did not deter him from scoring boundaries at will. Awana had just taken out Mayank Agarwal and Virat Kohli in the space of five deliveries. Gayle responded with consecutive fours off Praveen Kumar in the next over.

Awana had Saurabh Tiwary top-edging to the wicketkeeper off the first ball of the sixth over. Gayle responded with another pair of boundaries. He softly turned deliveries through square leg for runs while de Villiers found his timing as soon as he arrived.

De Villiers, in fact, went along at a faster clip than Gayle initially, tapering off towards the end as the latter finally decided to display his range with some huge straight hits.

The game went to the last over only because Gayle and de Villiers fell on the brink of victory. In the end, Royal Challengers had just too much power for a ragged Kings XI unit. That Kings XI even set the visitors a reasonable chase was down to Mahmood, the former Pakistan allrounder debuting in the IPL as a British citizen. He breathed life into a stuttering innings after Kings XI had once again been let down by their batsmen. Coming in at No. 7 in the 16th over, Mahmood smashed 33 off 14 deliveries as Kings XI posted their highest total of the season.

Despite three of five bowlers used going for around six runs an over, Royal Challengers discovered there were still enough weak links in their attack for even a shaky Kings XI line-up to exploit. Harshal Patel disappeared for 44 and Vinay Kumar for 40 as Kings XI took 51 off the final four overs.

Kings XI had sleepwalked to 105 by the 15th over, and the departure of David Hussey off the last ball of that over had further dented their hopes of posting a decent total. Mahmood walked in and completely changed the tempo of the innings. Harshal was thumped over mid-off and midwicket for consecutive boundaries; Vinay was calmly dabbed between the wicketkeeper and wide slip for four.

Royal Challengers had been on top till Mahmood's arrival. Only Shaun Marsh and Hussey had dominated them in a three-over span. Even that partnership had been terminated before it could cause much damage. After playing some pleasing cover drives, Marsh was bowled for 26 as he tried to late-cut Andrew McDonald.

Marsh's fall came after Zaheer Khan, enjoying the bounce on the Mohali pitch and bowling with control from both sides of the wicket, had removed the Kings XI openers early. Stand-in captain Hussey, leading in place of the injured Adam Gilchrist, kept the home side going steadily but fell when they were in need of a late boost. It was to come from Mahmood, and gave their medium-pacers some leeway to exploit a favourable pitch. Awana did that, but Gayle and de Villiers were unstoppable.

Innings	Dot balls	4s	6s	PP	Last 5 overs	NB/Wides

Kings XI Punjab	41	13	3	41/2	58/1	0/3
Royal Challengers Bangalore	48	16	4	36/3	50/2 (15 -19.3)	1/7

Azhar Mahmood's visa issues resolved

2012-04-20T11:23:00.000+05:30

Azhar Mahmood, the former Pakistan allrounder, has received a visa to play across Indian cities in the IPL for Kings XI Punjab. He had initially experienced a delay in receiving his visa, and then got one that was valid only for Delhi and Chandigarh.

Mahmood confirmed the news in a tweet on Wednesday afternoon.

On Monday, Mahmood, who is now a British citizen, had said that the issue was not political and was likely to be solved quickly. "The guy who made the visa only entered the name of my entry point into the country [Delhi] and destination [Chandigarh]," Hindustan Times quoted him as saying. "It's just procedural and not a political issue, and should get sorted out in a couple of days."

Mahmood was bought by Kings XI at the auction in February for $200,000. He was expected to be available for selection from the beginning of the IPL but missed the franchise's first four games due to the visa issues. He will be available for their fifth game on Wednesday evening against Kolkata Knight Riders at home.

Police recover more Ben Hollioake kit David Hopps

2012-04-20T11:22:00.002+05:30

Memorabilia from Ben Hollioake's career was stolen from his parents' house in Perth © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Adam Hollioake | Ben Hollioake

Teams: Australia | England | Surrey

Adam Hollioake, the former England allrounder has said that most of the England cricket kit used by his late brother, Ben, and stolen from his parents' home in Perth, has now been recovered.

"A person has been arrested and a search warrant issued to potentially retrieve remaining kit," Hollioake suggested on Twitter.

The success of the Western Australia police in recovering the stolen kit from a house in Applecross, in Perth's suburbs, has been hailed as an example of cricket's virtual community working together on social media for the general good.

According to Hollioake, the kit was recovered in several stages. The collection, which includes England shirts, sweaters, bats and helmets, is treasured by the family since his death ten years ago when his sports car spun out of control and hit a wall in south Perth.

"Kit turning up by the hour - probably 75% of it back now," he tweeted. "No doubt in my mind that you guys instigated us getting it back.

"On a positive note I know my bro would be happy everyone was talking about him again. He loved the spotlight. He probably arranged the theft himself from heaven."

Swann named England's winter MVP

2012-04-20T11:21:00.003+05:30

Graeme Swann was England's Most Valuable Player over the winter © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Kevin Pietersen | Graeme Swann

Teams: England

Graeme Swann has been named as England's Most Valuable Player over the winter, according to the ranking system used by the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA). Swann's 10-wicket haul against Sri Lanka earlier this month helped England to a first Test win in five matches and took his tally to 39 wickets in all formats.

Swann held off Kevin Pietersen, who scored 151 as England levelled the two-Test series with Sri Lanka at 1-1, to win the FTI MVP award, which includes a cheque for £2,000 to be given the charity Lowe Syndrome Trust. Swann has previously been England's MVP twice before - after the tours to South Africa and Bangladesh in 2009-10 and following the 2010 English summer.

The draw in Colombo - in which Swann finished with match figures of 10 for 181 - also ensured England retained their No. 1 Test ranking for a while longer.

"I'm delighted to have won the FTI MVP after what has been a tough winter and it's obviously great that we're still number one too," Swann said. "It is nice to win any award but it is especially pleasing to win one where you are compared to your team-mates on hard statistics.

"Losing the three Tests against Pakistan was a real blow, but we picked ourselves up in the ODIs and again after the defeat in Galle to prove there's plenty of fight in this team. The performance in Colombo bodes well for the summer, and hopefully we can carry that momentum into the Test series against the West Indies."

Sebastian Mathews, senior vice-president of FTI Consulting, said: "Congratulations to Graeme on his win, not only for this winter, but for becoming the first person to win a hat-trick of England FTI MVP awards. It was a very exciting end to the winter FTI MVPs where Graeme was run very close and this sets us up for an exciting summer of cricket ahead of us."

The MVP ranking system, used by the PCA since 2007, takes into account factors such as bowlers' economy rates and the percentage of a team's runs scored by individual batsmen, alongside more standard measurements such as wickets, runs and catches.

Swann also topped the individual Test statistics with 146 points from five matches at an average of 29.17. His total was over 40 points clear of nearest challenger James Anderson. ODI captain Alastair Cook led from the front in 50-over cricket, topping the standings with 113 points, while Pietersen, who scored 30% of England's runs in the shortest format, was the T20 FTI MVP.

Wagner's eligibility for New Zealand confirmed

2012-04-20T11:21:00.000+05:30

Neil Wagner had moved to New Zealand in 2008 and his inclusion in the New Zealand team has been highly anticipated © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Neil Wagner

Teams: New Zealand

Neil Wagner, the South Africa-born fast bowler, is now eligible to play for New Zealand, the ICC has confirmed. Wagner had moved to New Zealand in 2008 and his inclusion in the New Zealand team has been highly anticipated, following two prolific seasons on the domestic circuit.

Last month, there was some doubt over how soon Wagner would be eligible to play for New Zealand. The ICC's regulations state that a player must reside in the relevant country for a minimum of 183 days for four consecutive years to qualify. Wagner had had two short trips out of New Zealand during his time there but received positive rulings on his applications for these two absences to be viewed as exceptional circumstances, prompting him to be declared eligible.

The New Zealand board had submitted the applications on Wagner's behalf to the ICC's exceptional circumstances committee, who then made a recommendation to cricket committee chairman Clive Lloyd.

During his run in domestic cricket, where he has represented Notherns and more recently Otago, Wagner was named the most valuable player of the Plunket Shield for 2010-11, after taking 51 wickets in nine games in the competition. That included a record five wickets in one over, against Wellington. In the 2011-12 season he had topped the wicket-takers' list again, with 46 wickets in 10 games.

New Zealand's next international assignment is a tour of the Caribbean that begins in Florida at the end of June.

Revived Bangalore aim for consistency

2012-04-20T11:20:00.002+05:30

Match facts

Friday , April 20, Mohali
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

David Hussey hasn't really got going for Kings XI this season © AFP

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Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

Teams: India | Kings XI Punjab | Royal Challengers Bangalore

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The teams came have had contrasting fortunes in their respective previous games, and Royal Challengers Bangalore, among the most closely-followed teams this competition, have got the win they needed to revive their campaign.

Not only did Chris Gayle deliver in typical Gayle fashion, smashing five consecutive sixes to give his team a strong chance in a big chase apart from a breaking a spectator's nose in the process, Bangalore broke a run of three straight defeats to clinch a thrilling victory that included a six off the final ball. Saurabh Tiwary finally did something to justify his $1.6 million buy, hitting the winning runs while playing an important cameo and AB de Villiers was masterful, disdainfully reverse-sweeping and scooping fast bowlers for sixes.

Kings XI Punjab's previous experience was far less dramatic, in fact it was dispiriting, as they were beaten comprehensively by Kolkata Knight Riders. It broke the momentum set by two straight wins, leaving the team seeking a recovery again. They'll be without their captain Adam Gilchrist for the game; he's recovering from a slight hamstring tear.

Players to watch

It'll be interesting to see if Muttiah Muralitharan is left out of the playing XI again, as he was against Pune Warriors. The man who replaced him was Tillakaratne Dilshan, who managed just 4. He is part of what is potentially the most destructive opening duo this IPL, and will be expected to play his role in this campaign even though he may not be a regular in the side throughout if the choice is between him and Murali.

David Hussey has had a quiet IPL season so far, with scores of 13, 18, 32 and 10. He's had starts in each of the four innings he's played, only one of those has had a significant impact in the outcome. He's expected to lead Kings XI without Gilchrist playing. Azhar Mahmood has had his visa issues resolved and is a good all-round option to consider for Kings XI in the absence of their regular captain.

2011 head-to-head

The teams played each other twice last season, and won a game each. Each victory was by a big margin. In Bangalore, the Royal Challengers, led by Gayle's blistering ton, amassed 205 and defended it with ease. In Dharamsala, it was Adam Gilchrist's turn to make a hundred and Kings XI won by 111 runs.

Stats and trivia

Gayle overtook Gilchrist to become the batsman with the most sixes across the five IPL seasons. He now leads the tally with 85, one ahead of Gilchrist. Gayle's done it in less than half the matches - 32 against 65.
Royal Challengers have conceded 616 extras in the five seasons of the IPL, second only to Mumbai Indians' 642. Kings XI are third on the list with 584. Among the teams to have played all five seasons, Rajasthan Royals have conceded the least - 503.

Quotes
"I am sure we are learning from our frustrations and mistakes previously made and that's all part of the journey of cricket."
Adam Gilchrist gets philosophical about Kings XI's progress thus far.

Siddle and Pattinson fly home with back injuries

2012-04-20T11:19:00.002+05:30

James Pattinson played an important hand with the bat but struggled with the ball © AFP

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Players/Officials: James Pattinson | Peter Siddle

Matches: West Indies v Australia at Port of Spain

Series/Tournaments: Australia tour of West Indies

Teams: Australia

Peter Siddle has flown home from Australia's tour of the West Indies and James Pattinson will follow him at the conclusion of the second Test in Trinidad after both were ruled out of the third Test, due to begin in Dominica on Monday.

Pattinson and Siddle, team-mates for club, state and country, have both complained of back trouble in the past week. Siddle's was at first described as "back stiffness" and emerged as he played in the first Test in Barbados, quickly ruling him out of the second.

He and the rested Ryan Harris were replaced as fast bowlers for the second match by Pattinson, who was playing his first Test since he suffered a foot stress injury during the second Test against India at the SCG in January. However Pattinson struggled for rhythm and left the field on the third afternoon following a throw from the outfield.

Siddle was not considered for Australia's ODI team following his Test match success against India as the national selectors wished to retain his full and aggressive style for the game's longest form, while also keeping him fresher physically. Australia's captain Michael Clarke said the loss of Siddle and Pattinson would be difficult to cover, but was glad Harris had been left in reserve alongside Mitchell Starc.

"Disappointing we lose two very good bowlers," Clarke said. "But Mitchell Starc comes into contention now as one of our fast bowlers or we have the option to play two spinners again. Ryan Harris freshens up, doesn't play this Test and he's fresh and ready to go for the next Test. We've still got some options, it's just about looking at conditions when we get there and see what our best attack is."

Clarke said Pattinson had shown no signs of discomfort until he threw while off balance in the field and immediately complained of back stiffness. "No back issues until he did that," Clarke said. "I walked up to him and asked how you going and he said 'I'm a little bit stiff', told him to go and see the physio and it didn't get much better from there. He was still stiff the next morning, had a scan and we didn't get the results until late last night.

"Got those results and the decision was made this morning on what his plans were because it's more positive than negative. Obviously it's disappointing that he's not going to be available for the third Test but the reality is, if he's not going to be fit for the third Test, our best option for both him and Peter is to put them on a plane and get them home and get them stuck into treatment ASAP so they're fit for our next tour."

Australia's physio on tour, Kevin Sims, said Siddle's scans had shown a "low back bone stress injury" while Pattinson's "acute low back pain" will require further diagnosis on his return to Australia.

"Peter Siddle developed some back soreness late in the first Test against the West Indies and scans conducted in Trinidad showed the early signs of a low back bone stress injury," Sims said. "He was subsequently ruled out of the second Test.

"After further consultation we feel that to prevent this injury developing any further it is in Peter's best interest for him to return to Australia to rest and for appropriate physiotherapy to ensure he is fully fit when next selected for Australian duties.

"James Pattinson had an episode of acute low back pain after fielding and throwing awkwardly late on day three of the second Test. We have since monitored his condition over the last couple of days and the initial investigations suggest that while the injury is not serious there is insufficient time for him to recover to play in the third Test match.

"As such, we have today made the decision for James to return to Australia to prevent this injury developing any further and for him to receive the appropriate medical and physiotherapy management."

Neither bowler will be replaced on tour, leaving Ben Hilfenhaus, Harris and Starc as Australia's only available pacemen for the third Test.

Tour postponed after court order

2012-04-20T11:18:00.005+05:30

The return of international cricket to Pakistan could be delayed further © AFP

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Series/Tournaments: Bangladesh tour of Pakistan

Teams: Bangladesh | Pakistan

A chronology of events

December 17, 2011
BCB president AHM Mustafa Kamal announces tour to Pakistan in April 2012; says a security team will ascertain in January whether it is safe to visit
March 3-5, 2012
After a two-month delay, the security team headed by Kamal is "satisfied" with arrangements
March 7, 2012
ICC introduces special dispensation to be made only in exceptional circumstances allowing "non-neutral match officials", a departure from the ICC's Standard Playing Conditions
March 12, 2012
Kamal says Bangladesh will not tour if the ICC doesn't send match officials
March 19, 2012
PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf says bilateral ties could suffer if Bangladesh backs out of tour
April 15, 2012
ICC announces BCB and PCB have agreed on the tour to Pakistan, outlining two matches for April 29 and 30 in Lahore
April 19, 2012
BCB informs PCB that the series is postponed after the Dhaka High Court rules in favour of a four-week* embargo

Bangladesh has postponed its tour of Pakistan following a court order that set a four-week embargo on the national team's plans. The decision, communicated on Thursday to the PCB by the BCB's acting CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury, is the latest twist to a long-running saga that began last December; the tour itself, comprising two limited-overs games, had been finalised last weekend to take place in Lahore at the end of April.

The order came on a day when Pakistan said it had sent a 70-page security plan for the tour to the ICC and announced details of match tickets that were to have gone on sale next week. The events that followed will have added to doubts over whether the tour will indeed go ahead at all.

The PCB reacted sharply to the news. "It is astonishing to note that a matter lacking any legal issue has been dragged in the court by petitioners who appear to have vested interest and want to jeopardise Pakistan-Bangladesh cricketing relations," the statement said.

"It is extremely disturbing to note for the PCB and Pakistan cricket fans and world cricketing nations that such an adverse order has been passed to block a bilateral cricket series."

The court order, delivered by Justices Farid Ahmed and Sheikh Hasan Arif on Thursday afternoon, was in response to a writ petition filed in the morning by a university teacher and a Supreme Court lawyer who, citing concerns over security, challenged the BCB's decision to send the team at the end of April for a three-day tour.

It also said that in the interim period the sports secretary, the National Sports Council chief and BCB chief Mustafa Kamal justify the decision for the tour.

Azim, one of the lawyers for the petitioners, said: "The ICC asked for a security plan from PCB. They have still not given it. Pakistan is not safe for any foreign teams now. Their own media says so. For that reason, no country agrees to play there. Under the same circumstances, we should not go there also."

The petition echoes the prevailing public sentiment surrounding the tour since it was first announced. The mood against the tour - which has been called short-sighted and opportunistic, at the cost of players' safety - grew following the confirmation of dates on Sunday. The tour, of immense importance to Pakistan, is widely seen as a quid pro quo for Kamal getting the Pakistan-Bangladesh joint nomination for the ICC vice-presidency; with the latter in almost certain cold storage, the tour has become an even more complex issue. Kamal's own flip-flops on issues relating to the tour have added to the confusion.

Adding to the complexity is the security angle. The ICC's stated stand is that it has no role in clearing tour; its remit extends to checking to see whether its officials can be deployed. It has, however, scripted its own escape clause by introducing a "special dispensation" that would allow non-neutral officials where the situation did not allow for neutrals.

The security issue prompted the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) to issue a strongly worded statement against the tour.

"This decision of whether Bangladesh should tour Pakistan needed to be a concise and transparent process," FICA CEO Tim May said. "Unfortunately all we have witnessed is seemingly a complete lack of any process and a series of indecisive and contradictory comments, particularly coming from Mustafa Kamal.

"The actions and words of Kamal certainly give the impression of confirming rumors that there has been a deal reached between the PCB and Kamal … What has resulted since has been a series of actions and comments that rather than reassure everyone of the safety of such a tour, only have created heightened apprehensions and doubts amongst players re the safety of the tour and the motives of those involved in the decision."

Pietersen ton keeps Deccan winless

2012-04-20T11:18:00.002+05:30

Delhi Daredevils 162 for 5 (Pietersen 103*, Steyn 2-19) beat Deccan Chargers 157 for 8 (Parthiv 45*, Nadeem 3-16) by five wickets
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Though Kevin Pietersen was the star of the day, Shahbaz Nadeem played a significant role by taking three wickets © AFP

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Players/Officials: Shahbaz Nadeem | Kevin Pietersen

Matches: Delhi Daredevils v Deccan Chargers at Delhi

Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

Teams: Deccan Chargers | Delhi Daredevils | India

Deccan Chargers dropped Kevin Pietersen three times on his way to 103, the second century of IPL 2012. It was an innings that condemned Chargers to their fourth defeat this season and left them winless at the bottom of the table. After taking three early wickets in defense of a below-par 157, Chargers were on course to turn their fortunes around, but Pietersen denied them. He took Delhi Daredevils to the top of the table with his authoritative knock, his highest score in Twenty20 cricket and hit most sixes in an IPL innings this season - nine.

Daredevils held the advantage from the halfway mark. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and Morne Morkel took three wickets apiece to keep to pull Chargers back from 101 for 2 after 11 overs. Despite another spell of fury from Dale Steyn, Chargers were unable to keep Daredevils from joining Rajasthan Royals at the top of the table, with a game in hand.

Chargers began strongly in the field when Naman Ojha looked to launch IPL debutant Veer Pratap Singh over the off side but was caught by JP Duminy. It brought Pietersen to the crease earlier than expected and he could have been sent back off the second ball he faced. Steyn bowled an inswinger that cut Pietersen in half as it beat him but Pietersen responded by flicking Steyn for four through midwicket. The next over Pietersen pulled Steyn to short midwicket where Bharat Chipli should have taken the catch to send him on his way for six, but spilled it.

Chipli would have felt a little better to see Virender Sehwag caught at second slip off the next ball and Mahela Jayawardene caught by Kumar Sangakkara in the next over. His relief was short-lived though, as he misfielded when Pietersen drilled a ball through the covers for four soon after.

Sangakarra brought on a slew of spinners - JP Duminy, Amit Mishra and Ankit Sharma - and Pietersen feasted on all of them. His first six came off Mishra, who he charged before smacking over his head, in an over in which he scored 14 runs.

When Ross Taylor was run out, Chargers had Daredevils cornered on 83 for 4 after 13 overs but Pietersen turned things around by mauling Duminy. Two full-tosses were clubbed over the leg side for six and a third delivery was dispatched over the sightscreen. Duminy's over cost 21 runs and he dropped a return chance off the last ball.

In that over, the required run-rate plummeted to a manageable 7.71 from a worrying 9.31 and Pietersen had all but done the job. He went on punish Mishra again, taught Veer not to bowl short and wide by smashing him for six and launch Daniel Christian over long-off.

With eight to get off the last two overs and Pietersen on 95, Yogesh Nagar, who played a good supporting role, blocked the last ball to give Pietersen a chance to bring up three-figures. Ankit bowled the first ball of the 20th over and Pietersen hit him over his head to win the match and complete his century, leaving Chargers in no doubt that they were at least 15 short.

Chargers' innings was built on one impressive stand, 71 runs in 6.5 overs, between Shikhar Dhawan and Parthiv Patel. But, none of the other batsmen built on their start and they stuttered after the pair was dismissed. Nadeem had Dhawan trapped lbw when he tried the reverse-sweep and Parthiv caught at deep square leg after he pulled one too many.

Nadeem took three wickets in three overs and was responsible for dragging Chargers' run-rate back. He also had Duminy caught at mid-on before he had been able to get stuck in. Although Nadeem did not take a wicket in his fourth over, he completed the catch that dismissed Christian the ball after Nadeem's spell ended. By then, Chargers' run-rate had been pulled back from 9 runs to the over, to 7.8.

Enough pressure was put on the lower order for them to perish as they tried to accelerate. Abhishek Jhunjhunwala edged behind as he tried to clear Morkel over long-off and Steyn failed to hit a short ball over Sehwag at cover. Bharat Chipli was able to take advantage of Agarkar's width to hit him for a six and two fours in this third over and steer Chargers over the 150 mark, but it wasn't enough.

Innings	Dot balls	4s	6s	PP	16-20 overs	NB/Wides

Deccan Chargers	32	15	3	50/1	37/4	1/5
Delhi Daredevils	40	12	9	34/3	47/0	0/4

Chennai hold nerve in tight game

2012-04-20T11:17:00.002+05:30

Chennai Super Kings 164 for 5 (du Plessis 58, Badrinath 57, Samuels 3-39) beat Pune Warriors 151 for 7 (Mathews 27, Kulasekara 2-10) by 13 runs
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MS Dhoni provided the late flourish for Chennai Super Kings © AFP

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Players/Officials: Subramaniam Badrinath | Faf du Plessis

Matches: Chennai Super Kings v Pune Warriors at Chennai

Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

Teams: Chennai Super Kings | India | Pune Warriors

Chennai Super Kings raised their game in front of their home supporters to even the score with Pune Warriors, to whom they had lost five days ago. Warriors needed 21 off the last over, achievable by this tournament's standards, but couldn't finish the job. The Warriors had their moments with the bat but couldn't sustain their partnerships, thanks to some sharp catching and miserly death bowling by the hosts.

On a pitch with variable bounce, and the sapping humidity to deal with, it was a commendable effort by Super Kings' Faf du Plessis and S Badrinath to stage the first century opening stand of the season, 116. The surface was slow, and as a result, the openers used their feet against the seamers to get to the pitch of the ball.

Du Plessis was dropped early in his innings - albeit a tough chance - but he continued to look positive, lofting Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the second tier over long-on and then chipping down the track in a 14-run over, the costliest in the first half of the innings. He had another let-off on 40, when he went down the track to Marlon Samuels and was beaten by the low bounce, only for the wicketkeeper Robin Uthappa to fluff a stumping. Luck was on his side again the following over, when on 51, he attempted a quick single to cover, turned back and dived at the crease. The third umpire studied several replays but gave du Plessis the benefit of the doubt as he wasn't convinced that the bail was completely off the groove before he made his ground.

Badrinath vindicated the decision to replace the out-of-form M Vijay at the top by getting a fifty of his own. He was circumspect against the spinners, and didn't always find the right timing, especially with the slog. But three consecutive boundaries off Bhuvneshwar fast-tracked him to his half-century.

The Warriors then clawed back by getting rid of the pair in the next over. Both fell in similar manner, holing out to Angelo Mathews trying to slog. It wasn't the worst thing to happen for Super Kings as MS Dhoni helped his team bash 39 off the last three overs, which included a helicopter-shot for four which nearly cleaned out the bowler and umpire, and a six which cleared the roof.

The Warriors were halted in their chase by some terrific catching by Super Kings, starting with Robin Uthappa's early departure. He spliced it to mid-off where R Ashwin timed his dive and plucked it inches from the ground. Jesse Ryder pulled Nuwan Kulasekara to deep midwicket where Dwayne Bravo followed up his diving catch with a dance. A couple of overs later, Badrinath had to cover a lot of ground to catch a skier to send back Manish Pandey.

Prior to Pandey's fall, Sourav Ganguly had just knocked 18 off a Doug Bollinger over which featured three pleasing boundaries to the on side. However, the spinners applied the stranglehold in the next five overs, as the run-rate dropped from 8.83 to 6.50. Marlon Samuels broke the rut with two boundaries off Shadab Jakati and a top-edged six off Bravo, but the slower pace of Ashwin led him to spoon a catch to short cover. Warriors needed 68 off 40 when he departed, but they were leaving the rest to their last recognised pair.

Steven Smith and Mathews failed to bisect the gaps in the field, as the Warriors managed just two boundaries in the last eight overs. Super Kings threw themselves around in the field, and the bowlers, importantly, didn't dish out full tosses to give the batsmen any chance. Bollinger conceded just four and took a wicket in the penultimate over, and Bravo's slower balls in particular made the task tougher for Super Kings.

Though the century stand set them up to a competitive 164, Dhoni's final blaze made the difference in a evenly fought contest.

Innings	Dot balls	4s	6s	PP	Last 5 overs	NB/Wides

Chennai Super Kings	42	15	5	42/0	49/5	1/0
Pune Warriors	50	11	2	53/2	42/2	1/7

Rain ends prospect of intriguing finish

2012-04-20T11:16:00.002+05:30

Australia 311 (Hussey 73, Watson 56, Roach 5-105) and 160 for 8 dec (Ponting 41, Roach 5-41) drew with West Indies 257 (Chanderpaul 94, Lyon 5-68) and 53 for 2
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Ben Hilfenhaus made early inroads for Australia before rain closed in for the final time © AFP

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Players/Officials: Ben Hilfenhaus | Ricky Ponting | Kemar Roach | Darren Sammy

Matches: West Indies v Australia at Port of Spain

Series/Tournaments: Australia tour of West Indies

Teams: Australia | West Indies

As it had threatened to do the weather had the final say in Port-of-Spain and end the prospect of a fascinating finish after both captains took up each other's challenge to force a positive result. Michael Clarke declared to leave West Indies a target of 215 in 61 overs then Darren Sammy promoted himself to No. 3 as the hosts reached 53 for 2 when they were forced off which meant Australia retained the Frank Worrell Trophy.

The initial asking rate for West Indies of 3.52 was considerably more than had been managed for a sustained period at any stage of the game. However, Sammy's attacking mindset put his team ahead of the rate as he took on Australia's bowlers, especially Ben Hilfenhaus who he hit for 14 off three deliveries.

Hilfenhaus, though, had also given Australia their opening with a strong new-ball spell. He trapped Kieran Powell lbw, after he had been promoted to open, with a delivery that swung back (for the second time in the game Powell made the wrong decision over a review) then removed Adrian Barath with one that climbed from a length and took the edge to first slip.

But from 13 for 2 Sammy responded with two early boundaries off Shane Watson to show his mind was not turning towards the draw although some of his earlier fielding settings had suggested otherwise. Darren Bravo, who could have provided an anchor to the innings, was content to play quietly alongside his captain before the clouds rolled in.

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Kemar Roach became the first West Indian since Curtly Ambrose and the fifth West Indian overall to pick up a ten-wicket match haul against Australia. Ambrose had done so in Adelaide (1993) when West Indies won by one run.
Roach also became the fourth West Indian and the 11th bowler overall to pick up a ten-wicket haul in Trinidad. The last West Indian to achieve the feat was Ambrose in 1994 when West Indies bowled England out for 46.
It is also the 17th occasion that a West Indies bowler has had twin five-wicket hauls in a Test. Kenny Benjamin was the previous bowler to do in Nottingham in 1995.
Roach's 5for 41 is fifth on the list of best bowling performances by a West Indian bowler against Australia in Trinidad. The best is Vanburn Holder's 6 for 28 in 1978.
Australia declared their third innings on 160 for 8. It is only the third time that Australia have declared at a total below 200 with seven or more wickets lost. However, on the previous two occasions they won the match.
There were ten leg-before dismissals in the match. It is the seventh time in a West Indian-Australia Test that there have been ten or more lbw dismissals.
Australia's run-rate in the match (2.39) is the second-lowest for them in a Test against West Indies since 1990 (min 1000 balls bowled). The lowest (2.30) in the same period also came in Trinidad in 1991.

Australia had signalled their intent immediately after lunch when Michael Hussey lofted the first ball of the second session over long-off against Narsingh Deonarine then slog-swept another boundary to signal the intent. Sammy immediately set his field deep as Hussey and Matthew Wade started to play tip-and-run cricket.

Hussey dragged Kemar Roach into his stumps, as he tried to glide the ball to third man, and three balls later Hilfenhaus had his off stump pegged back as Roach became the first West Indies bowler since Curtly Ambrose in 1993 to take ten in a match against Australia.

The visitors had found progress hard going during the morning session and after losing Clarke and Ricky Ponting in quick succession had to guard against a more damaging collapse. Australia's first boundary did not come until the 10th over of the day when Ponting flicked Fidel Edwards to fine leg and two balls later Ponting hooked a well-directed bouncer straight to deep square-leg.

It was due reward for Edwards, who had toiled without luck during this match while Roach picked up the wickets, and meant Ponting did not covert his hard work. His 41 was more than he had made in his previous eight international innings combined but the mode of dismissal was likely to start more debate.

Two overs later West Indies' morning got even better thanks to spark of fielding brilliance from Sammy. Clarke pushed fractionally early at a delivery that may have stopped in the surface, sending the ball back down the pitch but fair distance to Sammy's right in his follow through. However, Sammy stuck out his hand and with the ball almost past him clung onto the catch before a nonchalant celebration.

It left the intriguing situation of Australia being 149 ahead with 82 overs left in match and also having an injured James Pattinson in the dressing room. Shillingford began his latest exacting spell of the match as he teased and tested Hussey and Wade. The ball beat the outside edge and took the inside edge but nothing quite went to hand for West Indies.

Shortly before Australia started to release some of the pressure as Wade pulled Sammy for a boundary and Hussey swept Shillingford and that was sign of things to come but in the end the efforts of both sides were futile.

Dominant Delhi thrash Mumbai

2012-04-17T16:10:00.003+05:30

Delhi Daredevils 93 for 3 (Sehwag 32) beat Mumbai Indians 92 (Harbhajan 33, Umesh 2-10, Nadeem 2-16) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Shahbaz Nadeem triggered Mumbai Indians' collapse with two wickets upfront © AFP

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Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

Teams: Delhi Daredevils | India | Mumbai Indians

The battle of the heavyweights in this IPL degenerated into a one-sided contest at the Wankhede Stadium, as the Mumbai Indians' top and middle orders imploded against some attacking bowling from Delhi Daredevils. The implosion was partly forced, partly self-inflicted, and left the visitors chasing the lowest target this IPL season, one they achieved with ease. The Daredevils are on top of the table now with three wins from four games, Mumbai Indians have slipped to fourth place.

Shahbaz Nadeem, the left-arm spinner, has proved effective this season with economical figures and he continued the good work against the Mumbai openers, bowling flat and sticking to a tight line. There was a good amount of bounce available on the track and the new ball helped him get some bite. Nadeem owed some of his success today to Irfan Pathan, who tied down Davy Jacobs at one end, bowling a maiden and it was a matter of time before the opener tried to break through. He swung hard but was bowled by Nadeem to be dismissed for a 10-ball duck, and Richard Levi followed in almost identical fashion against Nadeem eight balls later.

The Daredevils shuffled their bowlers around, and each contributed in a collective effort. Morne Morkel bowled quick and got excellent carry, Ajit Agarkar too generated good pace and Umesh Yadav even more so while being accurate. As the bowlers kept the pressure on throughout, Mumbai didn't help their own case either. Ambati Rayudu was run out thanks to complete confusion partly due to the noise around the stadium, Kieron Pollard holed out attempting a big shot when the need of the hour was some caution and Dinesh Karthik's mistimed pull offered a simple catch to mid-on.

Amid the mess was a counterattack from Rohit Sharma, but one that was lacking in conviction. Three of his four boundaries were top-edges while attempting the pull against the bouncing ball, twice against Morkel. As it turned out, his luck was short-lived, as another top-edge brought his downfall, with Ross Taylor completing one of two well-judged catches in the deep.

Mumbai slipped to 44 for 6 but some meaty hitting from their captain gave them a brief respite. A couple of length balls doled out by Agarkar were dispatched for a six and a four by Harbhajan Singh, whose timing stood out in an otherwise forgettable Mumbai innings. He followed that up with a couple of delightful cuts, one off Agarkar and another against Nadeem, but the slide was to resume soon. Morkel and Pathan returned to knock off the tail, that included Harbhajan himself, as the Daredevils prepared themselves for a quick finish.

Delhi's chase was smooth, and Virender Sehwag's trademark cut for six in the first over further dampened the spirits of the Mumbai crowd. With Lasith Malinga out injured, the Mumbai Indians attack was weakened significantly. Harbhajan, too, didn't bowl an over. A steady opening from Naman Ojha and Sehwag set the tone; Sehwag guided much of the innings, falling shortly before the job was done, and Mahela Jayawardene together with Taylor sealed the win in the 15th over.

Innings	Dot balls	4s	6s	Powerplay (0-6)	16-20 overs	NB/Wides

Mumbai Indians	55	10	1	23-2	13-3 (19.2)	2/3
Delhi Daredevils	37	7	1	41-1		0/6

Worse actions than Samuels' in IPL - Ganguly

2012-04-17T16:10:00.000+05:30

Sourav Ganguly: If Marlon gets warned for his action, then there are probably a few around who are worse © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Sourav Ganguly | Marlon Samuels

Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

Teams: Pune Warriors

Sourav Ganguly, the Pune Warriors captain, has defended his offspinner Marlon Samuels, saying there were bowlers with worse actions in the IPL who hadn't been warned. Samuels was reported by the umpires for a suspect action after the match against Chennai Super Kings on April 14.

Ganguly said he was surprised by on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Bruce Oxenford's decision. "If you go around the IPL, you will see worse actions," he said. "I should not be saying it because we are all part of a competition. But if Marlon gets warned for his action, then there are probably a few around who are worse."

Ganguly questioned the decision to report Samuels, who has been bowling for West Indies in international matches without being warned. "Whoever has done it has got to be careful because Marlon has bowled for the West Indies for two years and he hasn't been warned," Ganguly said. "He has bowled in the first three games of the IPL and he hasn't been warned. And I don't know what he did different in his fourth game to be warned."

As per IPL policy, Samuels will be allowed to bowl for the Warriors but should he be reported again, he will be suspended from bowling for the remainder of the season.

Samuels had problems with his action in the past. He was reported for a suspect action after the third Test between West Indies and South Africa in 2008 in Durban, when the on-field umpires raised doubts especially with regards to his quicker deliveries. He underwent remedial work, and an independent test found his action to be legal. In 2011, he was cleared for bowling in international cricket by the ICC.

Mathews must be wary of injury in IPL - de Mel

2012-04-17T16:09:00.000+05:30

Ashantha de Mel: "[If Angelo Mathews gets injured] we will be forced to leave him out. If someone else comes and performs, then he cannot be assured of his place [in the Sri Lanka team]." © AFP

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Players/Officials: Angelo Mathews

Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

Teams: Pune Warriors | Sri Lanka

Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka allrounder, should be wary of managing his workload in the IPL, national chairman of selectors Ashantha de Mel has said. Mathews has had several fitness issues recently, leading to questions about his future as a bowler, and so his bowling in the IPL has raised concerns.

"As selectors, we don't have any control over the IPL. We can't tell them what to do and what not to do," de Mel told the Island. "He [Mathews] may be thinking that [if] he bowls at the IPL, his value is more as he goes as an allrounder. He will struggle if he bowls 10 overs [in an ODI]. In the IPL, the maximum he will bowl is four overs and that could be possible. The duration of the game is also short. However, there is a strain on his body.

"The problem is if he gets injured. I have personally told him that if he bowls, his career will be shortened. If he doesn't want to listen to us, then I don't know what more can be done. People have to realise what is more important to them. Playing the IPL or playing for the country."

Mathews, who is Sri Lanka's vice-captain, had bowled an aggregate of five overs in Pune Warriors matches against Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings. He is coming off a calf injury that kept him out of cricket for a month - from the finals of the Commonwealth Bank series in Australia through to the first Test against England in Galle - and prevented him from bowling in the Colombo Test. In the past year he also suffered groin and quadriceps injures.

After Mathews had failed a fitness test in the run-up to the Galle Test against England, de Mel had said he potentially faced a future as a specialist batsman for Sri Lanka. Mathews responded by saying while he would have to manage his workload in Tests, he would continue bowling in the shorter formats.

If Mathews continued to pick up injuries, de Mel said he could not expect to be an automatic pick in the Sri Lanka team. "As there is a strain on his body, the prospects of him getting injured are there and then we will be forced to leave him out. If someone else comes and performs, then he cannot be assured of his place."

ICC presidency term to be cut to a year

2012-04-17T16:08:00.002+05:30

T20 and scheduling of ICC events

The ICC has increased from 12 to 16 the number of teams participating in the World T20, beginning with the 2014 event. Teams can now play three Twenty20 Internationals (in addition to the stipulated 12) in the year of an World Twenty20, along with a corresponding reduction in the maximum number of permitted ODIs.
The World Cup, for 50-over cricket, will have 10 teams from 2019 onwards, with the 2015 event being the last World Cup open to 14 teams. The World Twenty20 2014 qualifying tournament will be held in the UAE in October 2013 and the World Cup 2015 qualifying event in New Zealand in 2014. The Board also released the first outline for its plans for the World Test Championship, with three games between four teams scheduled for 2017 and 2021.

The ICC's Executive Board has confirmed a constitutional amendment that will alter the role of its president and create a new post of a non-voting Board Chairman. The amendment, if approved by the ICC's general body in June, will convert the presidency of cricket's governing body into a rotational one-year term from 2014, at which time the post of vice-president will cease to exist. The chairman, who will now head the Executive Board, will serve a maximum of three two-year terms.

The nomination of Bangladesh Cricket Board president Mustafa Kamal as the joint candidate from Bangladesh and Pakistan for the vice-president's post, to succeed Alan Isaac in 2014, has been deferred until the ICC's annual conference, to be held in Kuala Lumpur at the end of June.

This will be the fourth time the ICC has made a change in its presidential format since reworking its constitution in 1996. The move to do away with a rotational presidency follows the controversial rejection in June 2010 of the nomination of John Howard as the ICC's vice-presidential candidate to succeed president Sharad Pawar. The constitutional amendment may have retained a rotational presidency, but the actual post has been altered in two different ways. From 2014 onward, the president's term has been cut down from two to one year and the position completely detached from administrative decision-making with the creation of the post of a chairman of the Board.

When the post of president was first created at the ICC, each full member appointed one man for the post on a rotational basis; Jagmohan Dalmiya from India, Malcolm Gray from Australia, Ehsan Mani from Pakistan and Percy Sonn from South Africa were the men appointed under this system. In 2007, the system was tweaked and the post of vice-president was also created. Though rotation stayed as a policy, nominations now came from pairs of countries: Australia-New Zealand, West Indies-England, India-Sri Lanka, Pakistan-Bangladesh and South Africa-Zimbabwe.

Kamal's vice-presidential nomination has now been further delayed. The re-defined president's role and the constitutional amendments would first need to be confirmed before the Board can turn its attention to what is to be done with the vice-president's post over the next two years. Within the next two months, Kamal's ambitions of becoming the ICC vice-president and from there, the president, will rest primarily on the support of the PCB. On Sunday, Bangladesh formally confirmed to the PCB that they will play one ODI and one Twenty20 International there later this month, in what will be the first international series in Pakistan since the attack on the Sri Lanka team in March 2009.

While the ICC Board announced that the post of the new Chairman would be instituted from 2014 onwards, it was not yet established whether the chairman would be appointed or elected. It is also not clear what the new 'ceremonial' post of president would actually involved as well as whether he would have the power to play any part in executive board functioning at all. At the moment the president chairs Board meetings, but has no vote. From 2014, the chairman would now become the head of the Board.

The Board also stated that recommendations made by the Woolf independent governance review needed "further discussion" to build a greater consensus. The directors of the Board - the chiefs of all the Full Member boards and three associate representatives - would "begin discussion among themselves" in order to develop, "a clearer understanding of the role of the ICC." The directors, it was said, would hold "more informal dicussions" among themselves and member boards in order to prepare their ground for the Kuala Lumpur meeting.

Apart from splitting the role of president and chairman of the board - both non-voting positions - the only other recommendation of the Woolf independent governance review that the Board had categorically agreed to was about "creating targeted funding" for members. The ICC has given no further details of the 'targeted funding' that was being considered. Haroon Lorgat, the CEO of the ICC, said it would have been, "unrealistic" to expect immediate decisions to be taken in regard to the Woolf report but said "it is encouraging there is a willingness to engage in difficult and significant governance matters." The Woolf review had called for sweeping changes in the global administration of cricket and the administration of the ICC.

Lorgat is now in his last two months as the CEO and will leave the position at the end of the annual conference in June. The board said it had identified four candidates who will be interviewed for the post. The ICC Executive Board consists of the president or chairman from each of the 10 Full Members plus three Associate Member representatives. The meeting is chaired by the ICC President and and also attended by the ICC Chief Executive, the ICC Vice-President, and by invitation, the ICC Principal Advisor.

'Near enough not good enough' - Law

2012-04-17T16:07:00.002+05:30

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Players/Officials: Stuart Law

Teams: Bangladesh

Stuart Law, who stepped down as Bangladesh coach, has said merely challenging the top teams in international cricket is "not good enough" for Bangladesh and that working hard was the only way to go to win more games. Law resigned for personal reasons after nine months with Bangladesh, the highlight of his tenure being their impressive show in the Asia Cup this year, when they beat India and Sri Lanka and went down by just two runs in the final against Pakistan.

"Near enough is not good enough," Law told ESPNcricinfo. "You're never good enough, you always try to be the best you possibly can. I will miss them a hell of a lot and I wish them all the best but there's no substitute for hard work."

Law started as coach on the tour of Zimbabwe in August 2011, when Bangladesh were beaten in the only Test that marked the hosts' return to the longest format after a period of self-imposed isolation. "As a coach you're not going to walk in and have success immediately," Law said. "You have to work out how the players respond in certain pressure situations. You have to work out how to treat them, you can't treat everybody the same. It is totally different to how you treat people in other parts of the world.

"I think to get trust between me and the players; there were a lot of things, not just one or two."

There was some disappointment, Law said, in him leaving at a time when "we started to see the plans come into fruition, what we talk about being acted out in the field. The boys are listening and responding and respecting the way we are talking about our cricket."

His focus, while with Bangladesh, was to create a strong collective unit, Law said, speaking from his experience in Queensland. "The culture we created in Queensland had everyone on equal terms. It was more of a family and that's what I wanted to create here.

"The way that superstars are treated in this part of the world, I've never seen it before outside this part of the world. To their credit, Shakib [Al Hasan] and Tamim [Iqbal] have gone out of their zone to be part of the team. We saw the rewards of that in the Asia Cup."

Law said he would continue his association with cricket. "It's not a done deal for me by any stretch of the imagination. I get a buzz out of watching players replicate what we've been talking about. I'm moving back to Brisbane, my hometown. I have applied for a position there so I am just waiting to hear on the outcome of that."

Australia take control with early wickets

2012-04-17T16:06:00.002+05:30

West Indies 49 for 3 (Bravo 16*, Chanderpaul 1*) trail Australia 311 (Hussey 73, Watson 56, Roach 5-105) by 262 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

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Players/Officials: Michael Beer | Michael Hussey | James Pattinson | Kemar Roach | Shane Shillingford

Matches: West Indies v Australia at Port of Spain

Series/Tournaments: Australia tour of West Indies

Teams: Australia | West Indies

Australia took a long time to manoeuvre their position with the bat in Port-of-Spain but far less with the ball. Their total of 311, engineered on the second day by Michael Hussey and James Pattinson, was soon shown in its true value as West Indies stumbled to 49 for 3 at the close with the top order floundering against pace and spin.

Hussey and Pattinson added 89 for seventh wicket as Australia batted through to tea on rain-interrupted day. Their effort was put into greater context when the last four wickets fell for 14 and the swift fall of batsmen continued when West Indies started their reply. By stumps the home side were already facing a daunting task to stay in contention in the match and the series. It seemed, as ever, that their hopes lay largely with Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Michael Clarke continued to show the innovative side of his captaincy by handing the new ball to the left-arm spin of Michael Beer, who was playing just his second Test, and he was an immediate threat with deliveries gripping to beat the outside edge. It was Ben Hilfenhaus, though, who struck first with a testing spell of outswing when a delivery straightened on Kriagg Braithwaite and would have clipped leg stump.

Adrian Barath took 26 balls to get off the mark and was soon simply, yet beautifully, set up by Beer. Barath had driven on the up through the covers and Beer responded with a delivery that ripped past a defensive push before sending down the arm ball which trapped Barath on the back foot.

Barath was absolutely right not to review, but the same can't be said of Kieran Powell. He had played a couple of pleasing drives before facing Pattinson's first delivery which swung back into him. Ian Gould gave the decision but replays showed it had pitched outside leg stump. With Australia sensing further inroads Darren Bravo and Chanderpaul did well to prevent a terminal collapse.

West Indies' bowlers cannot be faulted for their endeavours but were not always supported in the field. Hussey passed fifty from 136 balls but should have been removed before the landmark. He was given his second life by Carlton Baugh on 47 when he advanced down the pitch to the probing Shane Shillingford, and was beaten by turn and bounce, only for Baugh to be unable to gather the take to complete the stumping. It was not easy, but should have been taken. On the first day Baugh dropped Hussey on 5 and he made West Indies' job even tougher.

Smart stats

Australia's run-rate of 2.30 is their lowest for a 300-plus score in Tests since 1990. Their previous lowest against West Indies was 2.51 during the 306 made in Antigua in 1999.
Michael Hussey's strike rate of 35.26 during his innings of 73 is the sixth-lowest for a fifty-plus score by an Australian batsman against West Indies in Tests since 1990. It is also the second-lowest strike rate for Hussey for a fifty-plus knock.
Four bowlers finished with an economy rate under 2.00 after bowling more than 15 overs. In the first innings of the Trinidad Test in 1999 against Australia, three West Indies bowlers had bowled 15-plus overs with an economy rate less than or equal to 2.00.
Shane Shiilingford's economy rate of 1.87 is the lowest for a bowler against Australia in Tests played since 2000 (min 25 overs bowled).
Kemar Roach went past the 50-wicket mark in Tests during his five-wicket haul. This is Roach's third five-for and his first against Australia.
The run-rate during the 89-run seventh-wicket stand between Hussey and James Pattinson (2.28) is the second-lowest for Australia since 2000 (for seventh-wicket fifty-plus stands).
Australia opened the bowling with a spinner for only the ninth time since 1970. It is also the first time since opening with Bill O'Reilly in 1938 that Australia have opened the bowling in the first innings with a spinner.

Narsingh Deonarine, who is developing the knack of breaking partnerships, eventually ended Hussey's stay when he lured him into a drive. Soon afterwards Pattinson's equally valuable contribution which spanned 119 deliveries was cut off when a leading edge looped high into the off side to give Shillingford a hard-earned third wicket.

Australia had lost a wicket without adding to their overnight total when Matthew Wade edged Kemar Roach to first slip. Roach and Edwards then gave Pattinson a tough welcome to the crease with a series of deliveries that beat the outside edge while Edwards also struck him on the forearm with a short ball, something Roach repeated later on, but Pattinson stood his ground to provide priceless support for Hussey.

Hussey pulled a rare short delivery from Shillingford through midwicket but the offspinner provided another tough examination for the batsmen. Hussey needed all his skill to survive; sometimes playing from deep in the crease then trying to stretch forward and also employing the sweep.

Pattinson picked off a loose delivery from Darren Sammy with a cut and then slashed another boundary past a diving third slip as West Indies were, once again, frustrated by the batting of one of Australia's bowlers. Although plenty of turn was on offer, the lack of pace in the wicket made it hard work for the bowlers and a couple of edges created by Shillingford did not carry to slip. Edwards, meanwhile, would have just been happy to find the edge as Pattinson continued to play and miss.

Occasionally the dot balls and maidens were punctuated by a boundary, the most empathic of which was when Hussey swept Shillingford into the stands over midwicket. Pattinson did not lose much in comparison as he showed a very solid defensive technique and the footwork to attack rare loose deliveries.

Roach made swift work of the remaining resistance when he bowled Hilfenhaus off his pads and two balls later pinned Beer lbw. To many people's surprise Beer was the man to deliver the next ball of the Test. It was the turn of Australia's spinners, but their quick bowlers were an equal threat.

Unmukt Chand century leads India to title

2012-04-16T15:46:00.002+05:30

ndia Under-19s 198 for 3 (Chand 112*) beat Australia Under-19s 194 for 9 (Buchanan 59, Hain 41*, Sandeep 4-51) by seven wickets
Scorecard

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Players/Officials: Unmukt Chand | Sandeep Sharma

Matches: Australia Under-19s v India Under-19s at Townsville

Series/Tournaments: Quadrangular Under-19 Series (Australia)

Teams: Australia | India

India Under-19s captain Unmukt Chand led his side to the title with an unbeaten century as the visitors overhauled Australia Under-19s' 194 with seven wickets to spare in the final in Townsville. India had lost all their three league games but got an even chance for the title with the tournament format featuring semi-finals. Their bowlers justified their captain's decision to field , with medium-pacer Sandeep Sharma taking four wickets as Australia were kept to 194 for 9. Only opener Meyrick Buchanan and No. 7 Sam Hain were able to resist the India bowlers, all but one of whom were among the wickets.

Pat Cummins removed the India openers within seven overs but Chand single-handedly led the visitors to victory with a breezy hundred. Facing 127 deliveries for his 112, Chand hit nine fours and six sixes as India motored to victory in the 43rd over. Chand had made 75 runs in the three league games, but rose to the occasion in the knockout stages, his century in the final following a 94 against England Under-19s in the semi-finals. Chand plays for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL, but missed the first quarter of the Twenty20 league, choosing to lead his country in this tournament.

Clash of the heavyweights

2012-04-16T15:45:00.005+05:30

Match facts

Monday, April 16, Mumbai
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

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Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

Teams: Delhi Daredevils | India | Mumbai Indians

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Two of the most power-packed IPL sides, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils, take on each other on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium after having had relatively long breaks, by IPL standards, of five and four days respectively. Mumbai Indians and Daredevils have had decent starts to the season. The Daredevils crushed defending champions Chennai Super Kings with nearly seven overs to spare in their previous game. Mumbai Indians overcame a stiff challenge from Owais Shah to beat Rajasthan Royals in front of a packed Wankhede.

The good news for the home side is that Sachin Tendulkar batted against a few throwdowns yesterday. Tendulkar has not played a game since injuring his finger in Mumbai Indians' season opener against Super Kings. Will they rush him into the playing XI? Richard Levi, the Mumbai Indians opener, said that they would take a call on Tendulkar tomorrow.

Tendulkar's replacements at the top of the order have struggled to provide starts but the heavyweight middle order and a world-class bowling attack have not let that come in the way of posting three wins from four games.

Daredevils look a completely different side with the availability of Mahela Jayawardene, Kevin Pietersen and now, Ross Taylor, who has declared himself "95% fit". Daredevils will have to figure out how to play all three overseas batsmen, though. Leaving out Roelof van der Merwe weakens the spin-bowling department, an area in which Daredevils are already short.

Players to watch

Lasith Malinga wrecked Daredevils for just 95 last season in Delhi. Malinga had figures of 3.4-1-13-5, and his maiden over was to Virender Sehwag, of all batsmen. It was Malinga who turned Mumbai Indians' previous game against Royals, bowling the rampaging Shah with a yorker.

Fresh from a match-winning 151 in England's second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo, Kevin Pietersen smashed an unbeaten 42 from 26 deliveries against Super Kings. The IPL may not be a big draw in England; Pietersen is here to enjoy himself, though.

2011 head-to-head

Mumbai Indians beat Daredevils in both meetings last year. Malinga was all over them in Delhi, and an all-round performance proved too much for the visitors in Mumbai.

Stats and trivia

Daredevils' 98-run loss to Mumbai Indians in 2010 was their second-largest in terms of runs, and the fourth-largest in the history of the IPL
Malinga's economy-rate of 4.54 is the best so far this season (minimum five overs bowled)

Quotes
"If the communication is good, doesn't matter, whoever you are batting with is alright."
Richard Levi is not bothered about having batted with three different opening partners in four games so far

Marlon Samuels reported for suspect action

2012-04-16T15:45:00.002+05:30

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Players/Officials: Marlon Samuels

Matches: Pune Warriors v Chennai Super Kings at Pune

Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

Teams: India | Pune Warriors | West Indies

Marlon Samuels, the Pune Warriors batsman and part-time offspinner, has been reported for a suspect action following his spell against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday, according to a media advisory posted on IPLT20.com, the tournament's website. Samuels was reported by the on-field umpires, Aleem Dar and Bruce Oxenford, and the third umpire Vineet Kulkarni after the game.

As per IPL policy, Samuels will be allowed to bowl for the Warriors but should he be reported again, he "will be suspended from bowling for the remainder of the season."

Samuels has had problems with his action in the past. He was reported for a suspect action after the third Test between West Indies and South Africa in 2008 in Durban, when the on-field umpires raised doubts especially with regards to his "fast" deliveries. He underwent significant remedial work, and an independent test found his action to be legal. In 2011, he was cleared by the ICC for bowling in international cricket.

Ireland submit plans for more ODIs

2012-04-16T15:44:00.005+05:30

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Teams: Ireland

Ireland would play 12 to 15 one-day internationals a year if the ICC approves their ambitious proposals to be given further challenges to take recognition of their rising standards.

Warren Deutrom, the chief executive, told the Cricket Ireland annual meeting that the ICC has received its submission and it will be go before the ICC board meeting in June for final approval. Under the proposals, ICC will help to identify gaps in the existing Future Tours Programme where Ireland can be accommodated for ODIs.

Cricket Ireland has made the case that it has rapidly outgrown its fellow associates and needs further challenges. The senior side, coached by Phil Simmons, has won 30 of its last 33 games against associate members of ICC. And in recent years Ireland has also beaten Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, West Indies and England.

Deutrom told the meeting that he hoped ICC would adopt the bulk of the Woolf Report, which he described as "better than our wildest dreams" and potentially the key moment in the history of the game's ambition to be a world sport.

While Ireland gets funding from ICC, Deutrom pointed to the disparity between its $685,000 grant compared to the $7-9million received by full members, who are also guaranteed participation in ICC tournaments and the FTP.

"Our battle is to convince ICC to fund cricket nations on the basis of merit and need, not of entitlement," Deutrom said.

The newly-announced plan also seeks ICC funding for an ambitious academy structure which will see the best young talent nurtured in both the north and south of the island.

While at times over the past decade the senior side has relied on naturalised players, the Irish system has produced some startlingly good players, with three - Ed Joyce, Eoin Morgan and Boyd Rankin - playing for England at various levels and new stars such as George Dockrell and Paul Stirling attracting the covetous ECB.

There are currently ten Irishmen contracted to English counties - which is more than Pakistan and West Indies put together when you discount the fly-in fly-out Twenty20 players.

The third item on Deutrom's shopping list is ICC's assistance in progressing the non-existent domestic first-class structure. At present the game is based on club leagues in three unions, based around Dublin, Derry and Belfast. The ambitious plan is to form these districts into an inter-provincial structure similar to the successful Irish rugby provinces.

This last point is seen as crucial for the development of the game and helping Ireland to continue to produce top players.

The AGM in Dundalk also elected Jimmy Joyce of Merrion as president for 2012-13. Joyce is father of five Irish internationals, including Ed, currently at Sussex, and Ireland women's captain Isobel. The respected veteran journalist Robin Walsh was named as president-elect.